Aburizal Bakrie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Aburizal Bakrie
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Bakrie in March 2011
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| 9th General Chairman of the Golkar Party | |
| In office 9 October 2009 – 17 May 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Jusuf Kalla |
| Succeeded by | Setya Novanto |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 November 1946 Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Political party | Golkar |
| Spouse | Tatty Murnitriati |
| Children | 3, including Anindya Bakrie |
| Alma mater | Bandung Institute of Technology |
Aburizal Bakrie (born 15 November 1946) is an Indonesian politician and a very successful businessman. He is well-known for leading the Bakrie Group, a large group of companies. From 2004 to 2005, Bakrie was Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for the Economy. He then became the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare from 2005 to 2009. Bakrie also served as the Chairman of the Golkar Party for several years.
He is known for his company's connection to the Sidoarjo mudflow disaster.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Aburizal Bakrie was born on 15 November 1946 in Jakarta, Indonesia. His father, Achmad Bakrie, started the Bakrie & Brothers company, which grew into the large Bakrie Group. His mother was Roosniah Nasution. Aburizal is the oldest of four children. He has two brothers, Nirwan Bakrie and Indra Usmansyah Bakrie, and one sister, Roosniah Odi Bakrie. He studied electrical engineering at the Bandung Institute of Technology and graduated in 1973.
Career
Business Career
In 1972, Aburizal Bakrie joined PT Bakrie & Brothers Tbk. This company is now known as the Bakrie Group. His father, Achmad Bakrie, founded this group of companies. The Bakrie Group grew a lot during the time of President Soeharto. It works in many different areas, like farming, real estate, trading, shipping, banking, and mining.
As the oldest child, Bakrie led the family business from 1999 to 2004. During the Asian economic crisis in 1998, he faced big challenges. However, he managed to keep control of the company. He successfully reorganized its finances in 2000.
Public Offices
From 1991 to 1995, Aburizal Bakrie was the President of the ASEAN Business Forum for two terms. This forum helps businesses in Southeast Asia work together. He also served as the President of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) from 1994 to 2004. KADIN is a group that supports businesses in Indonesia. As a member of the Golkar Party, Bakrie also tried to become the party's candidate for president in 2004.
Coordinating Minister for Economy
In 2004, Aburizal Bakrie left his business role. He was then chosen by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to be the Coordinating Minister for the Economy. This job involves overseeing many economic policies. Soon after starting, Bakrie introduced a plan to reduce poverty in Indonesia. This plan involved changing fuel prices. It also gave financial help to about 6 million people.
Bakrie believed that fuel prices should slowly go up. This would stop government money from being used too much on fuel. It would also make Indonesia's fuel prices similar to world prices. By October 2005, fuel prices had gone up by 126% after two increases. Many experts saw this as a good step for Indonesia's economy.
To help Indonesia produce more oil, Aburizal Bakrie stepped in. He helped solve a long-running disagreement between ExxonMobil Corporation and PT Pertamina. These two companies had argued for years about the Cepu Block oil fields project. This project was one of Indonesia's biggest oil discoveries in decades. Bakrie wanted to show that the government was serious about making Indonesia a better place for businesses to invest.
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare
After some changes in the government in 2005, Aburizal Bakrie became the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare. In this role, he focused on improving the lives of ordinary people. In May 2008, he announced a program to give cash to nearly 19 million low-income families. This help was meant to lessen the effect of rising fuel prices on these families.
Chairman of Golkar Party
In 2009, Aburizal Bakrie was chosen as the Chairman of the Golkar Party. This happened at a big meeting in Pekanbaru, Riau, Indonesia. He won against other candidates like Surya Paloh. In May 2010, he helped create a strong group of parties in parliament. This group worked with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's party. Bakrie was then chosen to lead this group.
Sidoarjo Mudflow
Aburizal Bakrie's name is connected to the Sidoarjo mudflow. This event started on 29 May 2006 in Sidoarjo, East Java. It caused a lot of damage to the environment and affected many people. Scientists have different ideas about what caused the mudflow. Some think it was a natural event, possibly linked to an earthquake that happened two days before. However, others, including the government, believe that drilling by PT Lapindo Brantas caused it. Bakrie's family had a major ownership in this company.
Even though some groups asked the government to stop PT Lapindo Brantas's drilling, a police investigation ended without charges. Some politicians supported Bakrie's family, saying it was a natural disaster. They were happy with how people were being paid for their losses. However, other politicians, whose property was affected, said that Lapindo and the government had not done enough to help the victims.
A report in 2013 showed that the mudflow had caused problems for almost seven years. It greatly affected the people of Porong and the economy of Sidoarjo. The mudflow covered more than 6,000 hectares of land. It forced 39,700 people to leave their homes. It also flooded three areas, 12 villages, over 11,000 buildings, and 362 hectares of rice fields.
Presidential Elections 2014
Around 2010, news began to suggest that Aburizal Bakrie wanted to be the Golkar Party's candidate for president in Indonesia's 2014 presidential election. He often said he wanted to be chosen. News reports also said that the Golkar Party was looking for someone to be his running mate. Some names mentioned were Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwana X and Dahlan Iskan.
Bakrie's early choice as candidate received some criticism. Some party members felt that there should be a vote to decide the candidate. Akbar Tanjung, a leader in the Golkar Party, said the process was "undemocratic." He felt it did not allow other members to try for the nomination. Bakrie said these were just "political attacks." However, others pointed out that choosing a candidate early was important. This is because Indonesia is a very large country with many provinces and a big population.
On 30 June 2012, at a Golkar meeting in Bogor, Bakrie was officially named the party's presidential candidate for 2014. In his speech, Bakrie said he humbly accepted the nomination. He asked for guidance and support to build a better Indonesia. To stop rumors about his running mate, Golkar's Deputy Chairman Agung Laksono said the vice-presidential candidate would be chosen later in 2013.
Recent surveys showed Bakrie was behind other possible presidential candidates. These included former general Prabowo Subianto and former President Megawati Sukarnoputri.
See Also
- United Indonesia Cabinet
Images for kids
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Bakrie in March 2011
