Fadli Zon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fadli Zon
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Fadli Zon in 2024
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| 1st Minister for Cultural Affairs | |
| Assumed office 21 October 2024 |
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| President | Prabowo Subianto |
| Preceded by | Nadiem Makarim |
| Speaker of the House of Representatives | |
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Acting
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| In office 11 December 2017 – 15 January 2018 |
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| Preceded by | Setya Novanto |
| Succeeded by | Bambang Soesatyo |
| In office 16 December 2015 – 11 January 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Setya Novanto |
| Succeeded by | Ade Komarudin |
| First Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives | |
| In office 2 October 2014 – 1 October 2019 |
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| Speaker |
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| Preceded by | Priyo Budi Santoso |
| Succeeded by | Azis Syamsuddin |
| Member of House of Representatives | |
| In office 1 October 2014 – 21 October 2024 |
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| Constituency | West Java V |
| Majority |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 June 1971 Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Political party | Gerindra |
| Other political affiliations |
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| Spouse | Katharine Grace |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Harlandale High School |
| Alma mater |
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| Occupation |
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Fadli Zon was born on 1 June 1971. He is an Indonesian politician and historian. He is currently serving as the Minister for Cultural Affairs.
Fadli Zon helped start the Gerindra Party (Gerindra) with Prabowo Subianto. He is also a vice chairman in the party. He was known for speaking out against President Joko Widodo from 2014 to 2019. However, his criticisms became less frequent after Gerindra joined the government's ruling group.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Fadli Zon was born in Jakarta, Indonesia. He was the oldest of three children. His parents, Zon Harjo and Ellyda Yatim, were from West Sumatra. Fadli's father passed away when he was a teenager.
He grew up in Cisarua, Bogor. He went to elementary and junior high schools there. Later, he attended high school in East Jakarta. From 1989 to 1990, he received a scholarship from AFS Intercultural Programs. This allowed him to study at Harlandale High School in San Antonio, Texas, United States. He graduated with high honors from there.
After high school, Fadli studied Russian literature at the University of Indonesia. He was very active in student groups. He led the Student Senate Education Bureau and was General Secretary of the Faculty of Letters Student Senate. He also joined the Indonesian Students Association for International Studies (ISAFIS).
In 1994, he was recognized as one of the top students at the University of Indonesia. He also led the Indonesian student team at a debate competition in Malaysia. In 2002, he studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in the UK. He earned a Master's degree in Development Studies. In 2016, he completed his doctoral degree in History from the University of Indonesia.
Journalism Career
While still a student, Fadli started writing for magazines and newspapers. From 1990 to 1991, he wrote for Tabloid IQRA and Suara Hidayatullah magazine. He also contributed to youth magazines like Nona and Hai.
In 1991, he wrote for the daily newspaper Harian Terbit. From 1992 to 1994, he worked as an editor for Gema Angkatan 45, a politics magazine. He also joined the editorial team of Horison literary magazine in 1993. Later, he became chief editor of Visi journal in 1997. He continued his journalism work, joining Tani Merdeka magazine in 2007 and becoming editor-in-chief of Tabloid Gema Indonesia Raya in 2011.
Political Career
After finishing his studies in 1997, Fadli became a representative in the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR). This was Indonesia's highest law-making body at the time. In 1998, the MPR re-elected President Suharto. However, many people protested against the government. Suharto later resigned in May 1998. After this, Indonesia held free elections in 1999, and Fadli lost his seat.
After the change in government, Fadli helped create the Crescent Star Party. He was one of its leaders for a short time but left in 2001. In 2007, Fadli met Hashim Djojohadikusumo, who is Prabowo Subianto's younger brother. Together with Prabowo, they founded the Gerindra Party in December 2007.
Gerindra took part in the 2009 elections. They won 4.46% of the votes and gained 26 seats in parliament. Fadli did not win a seat in that election. In the 2014 elections, he ran again for parliament in West Java. This time, he won a seat in the House of Representatives. He became the Deputy Speaker of the House from 2014 to 2019. He also served as Acting Speaker of the House for short periods in 2015–2016 and 2017–2018.
In the 2019 General Election, he was re-elected to parliament. He became the chairman of the House Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation. He was also a member of the House commission that deals with Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Information. He was re-elected for a third time in the 2024 general election. Since 2008, he has been the Vice Chairman of the Gerindra Party Central Board.
As Deputy Speaker
After Joko Widodo won the 2014 presidential election, Gerindra formed an opposition group called Koalisi Merah Putih (Red and White Coalition). Fadli often criticized President Widodo's policies.
In December 2015, Setya Novanto resigned as House Speaker. Fadli briefly took over as acting speaker. In 2017, Novanto faced another issue, and Fadli was again appointed as acting speaker.
Meeting with Donald Trump
In 2015, Fadli and House Speaker Setya Novanto caused discussion when they attended a press conference in the United States. The conference was held by then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. They were later told off for not following the House's rules of conduct.
Views on Vladimir Putin
On 30 March 2018, Fadli posted on Twitter that Indonesia needed a leader like Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said such a leader would be "brave, visionary, intelligent, wise, not too many debts, not clueless." He then suggested that Prabowo could be this kind of leader for Indonesia.
Later, on 5 February 2019, Fadli tweeted an apology to the Russian Embassy in Jakarta. This happened after President Jokowi had said that Prabowo was using a "Russian propaganda" strategy. Fadli tweeted: "I beg forgiveness for the statement of President @jokowi, which was hasty."
Lawsuit Regarding Information
On 12 March 2018, Fadli and another House Deputy Chairman, Fahri Hamzah, were reported to the Jakarta Police. They were accused of sharing incorrect information on Twitter. They had re-tweeted a story from Jawa Pos online that was later found to be incorrect. Jawa Pos removed the story, but Fadli and Fachri had kept it on their accounts.
Business Career
From 1999 to 2007, Fadli worked on the boards of several energy and farming companies. He was a director for PT Tidar Kerinci Agung, which works in palm oil. He was also a director for PT Padi Nusantara, a rice company. He was a director general for Golden Spike Energy Indonesia Ltd, an oil and gas company. Fadli has also led the Indonesian Farmers' Association (HKTI).
Views on Ethnic Chinese Indonesians
During the financial crisis in 1997–98, Fadli was among some Indonesian politicians who suggested that the country's money problems were caused by its ethnic Chinese minority. He believed that Indonesia could develop without their wealth.
In May 1998, Jakarta experienced serious events where ethnic Chinese people were targeted. In a book about these events, Fadli wrote that some reported incidents were unlikely to have happened. In June 2025, as Minister for Culture, he made statements that these events were just "rumors." He later said that proof was needed to acknowledge such incidents. He clarified his doubts, saying the scale of events was not like the Nanjing Massacre. These statements caused strong reactions, especially from Chinese Indonesians and human rights groups.
Fadli is also a strong opponent of former Jakarta governor Ahok. Ahok is of ethnic Chinese descent. Ahok was once a member of the Gerindra Party but left in 2014. In 2016, Fadli joined a rally asking for Ahok to be jailed. He also wrote a poem about it.
Organizations and Cultural Activities
Fadli holds several important roles in international and regional groups. He is the Vice Chair of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC). He is also the Vice President of the League of Parliamentarians for Al Quds. He leads the Southeast Asian Parliamentarians Against Corruption (SEAPAC). He was previously the President of GOPAC from 2015 to 2019.
He has chaired the Indonesian Farmers Association (HKTI) since 2015. He also leads the Indonesia Philatelic Association and the Indonesia Keris Society. He is chairman of the Islamic Cultural Arts Association (HSBI).
Library and Culture
In 2008, Fadli established the Fadli Zon Library in Jakarta. The Indonesian World Records Museum (MURI) says it is the country's largest private library. It also has Indonesia's "most complete" coin and stamp collections. Fadli has also created the Fadli Zon Cultural House in West Sumatra. He also established the Fadli Zon Creative House in Depok, West Java, and the Sundanese Cultural Village in Bogor, West Java. He has received 30 MURI records for his collections and cultural work.
Fadli has a large collection of traditional kris daggers. He led the Indonesian National Kris Secretariat from 2016 to 2021.
Personal Life
Fadli Zon is married to Katharine Grace, who works as a banker. They have two daughters.
Awards and Recognition
Fadli has received several awards for his work:
- AIPA Distinguished Service Award from ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), 2021.
- Bintang Mahaputera Nararya from President Joko Widodo, 2020.
- Champion of Corruption Award, from the African Parliamentarians Network Against Corruption (APNAC), 2019.
- Best Achiever in Legislator, from Obsession Awards, 2017.
- Kanjeng Pangeran Aryo Kusumo Yudho, from Keraton Surakarta Hadiningrat, 2012.
- Kanjeng Pangeran Kusumo Hadiningrat, from Keraton Surakarta Hadiningrat, 2011.
- Tuanku Muda Pujangga Diraja, from Daulat Yang Dipertuan Raja Alam Minangkabau, 2009.
- Datuk Bijo Dirajo Nan Kuning, from his family's home region in West Sumatra.
Books Written by Fadli Zon
Fadli Zon has written several books. Some of them were published by his own Fadli Zon Library.
- The Politics of the May 1998 Riots (2004).
- The IMF Game: The Role of the IMF in Bringing Down the Suharto Regime in May 1998 (2004).
- Wiranto Washes His Hands: Testimony of Kivlan Zen and Fadli Zon concerning the May 1998 riots (2004).
- Last Day of Kartosoewirjo: 81 photos of the execution of Imam DI/TII (2012).
- Dreams I Keep: A Collection of Poems, 1983-1991 (2013).
- Walking the Passage of Time (2016). This is his autobiography.
- Minangkabau Kris (2016).
- Food and Agriculture in the Neoliberal Era (2016).
- Mohammad Hatta’s Thought on People’s Economy: the Road to Indonesia's Political Prosperity (2016).
- Orkes Gumarang: The Story of Syaiful Nawas (2017).
- Orkes Gumarang: Soul Yoes Rizal (2017).
- Embrace Time (2017).
- Siding with the People (2018).
- Passing Through The Hall of Time (2018).
- Lombok Kris (2018).
- Pasundan Cleaver (2018).
- Asmujiono: Red and White (Flag) Raiser on the Top of Everest (2019).
- Fadli: Critical Notes from Senayan (2019).
- Strengthening The Indonesian Parliamentary Diplomacy (2019).
Images for kids
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Fadli Zon in 2024
