Mochtar Riady - JP/DON

Sofjan Wanandi, the chief economic advisor to Vice President Jusuf Kalla, has testified  that tycoon Mochtar Riady is not just known for his great achievements in transforming small banks into major banks such as Bank Central Asia (BCA).

Sofjan, who has known the banker since the 1970s, has pointed out that quite apart from the banking industry, Mochtar has also succeeded in building other aspects of his business empire, which covers various sectors such as property, health and education.

'€œHe [Mochtar] has had so many business ideas that have benefited Indonesia greatly ['€¦] For a long time I knew him as a businessman in the banking sector but then to my surprise, he managed to successfully expand into the education and health sectors,'€ Sofjan said during the launch of Mochtar'€™s Manusia Ide (Man of Ideas) autobiography in Jakarta on Wednesday.

During the event, the 86-year old Mochtar was accompanied by his family members, including his son in law Dato'€™ Sri Prof. Dr. Tahir, who is also a business tycoon in his own right.

Prominent figures, ranging from former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to dozens of regional leaders and hundreds of business people from various associations and ventures, took a brief moment from their busy schedules to attend the launch and pay their respects to Mochtar, the founder and chief patron of the Lippo Group conglomerate.

Such a high-profile event required special security arrangements and it also caused considerable traffic congestion around the Aryaduta Hotel, where the launch was being hosted.

Inside the hotel, senior television presenter Jaya Suprana acted as moderator of the event and he invited several prominent figures from the assembly of high-profile guests to come to the stage and give their testimony about Mochtar.

Other speakers at the book launch included People'€™s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Zulkifli Hasan, former economic minister and former Regional Representatives Council (DPD) speaker Ginandjar Kartasasmita, and Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Rizal Ramli.

Ginandjar complimented Mochtar for his resilience in dealing with crises that had brought many other businesses to their knees.

'€œDuring the 1998 financial crisis, there were many banks that received assistance from the government in the form of a blanket guarantee. Pak Mochtar'€™s bank [Lippo Bank] was not one of those banks yet he managed to survive and bounced back even higher after the crisis was over,'€ said Ginandjar, who held various positions in former president Soeharto'€™s Cabinet.

After the testimonials it was time for Mochtar to take the stage. With his usual dignity the 86-year-old tycoon took his time to thank his high-profile guests who had come to the book launch.

Mochtar Riady'€™s extended family - Manusia Ide

'€œWhen I was little, I never thought I would be able to gather so many prominent figures in a single place like this,'€ Mochtar said.

'€œI was born in Batu and grew up in Malang [which translates as '€˜misfortune'€™ in English]. During the first 20 years of my existence, my life was just like that; filled with one misfortune after another,'€ he added.

'€œMy mother passed away when I was nine. Two years later World War II began. My father was captured by the Japanese and I practically had to learn to take care of myself and lived without parents from when I was 11,'€ Mochtar said.

In the book, Mochtar writes in detail about how he used his talents to build several banks although he had little knowledge of the banking industry. He shares his experiences in his business partnership with the late Soedono Salim, or Liem Sioe Liong, including how they worked together to create the giant BCA.

'€œIn June 1975, Pak Liem Sioe Liong and I began our joint work to develop BCA. As a man who was entrusted with being number one at BCA, I was always committed to our joint cooperation,'€ he writes on page 111 of the book.

Mochtar also recounted his experiences as a businessman who expanded his business to the US, including to Arkansas, where Bill Clinton was serving as state governor at the time.

'€œOne day you [Clinton] will become the number one person of the US,'€ he recalled telling the governor. Clinton went on to serve as US president for two terms.

Their close relationship later became controversial as it was linked to a major scandal for Clinton.

Mochtar has also shared with his readers about his children, including James Riady and his eldest daughter Rosy, the wife of Tahir. He and his wife Li-mei, or Suryawaty Lidya, had to wait for eight years for their daughter to give them a grandson, although she had already provided them with three daughters, and then Jonathan was born.

'€œ I name him Ta-Chuan/Jonathan. Ta-Chuan is a hard, smart and skilled worker. I believe he will be able to preserve his parents'€™ major company [...] We are proud of the achivement and reputation of Tahir,'€ the senior banker writes on page 283.