Prabowo Unveils His New Political Dynamo – Budi Gunawan!
Jakarta, CNN Indonesia — Hold onto your hats, folks, because President Prabowo Subianto has just dropped a bombshell that even a fifth-rate magician would have trouble pulling off! The newly appointed Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs, none other than Budi Gunawan (or shall we say BG?), is poised for greatness, or at least a really comfy office chair.
Who is Budi Gunawan, You Ask?
Budi Gunawan, or BG for short, hails from Surakarta — not just any Surakarta, mind you, but the one with the fancy foods and no shortage of intriguing characters. Born on December 11, 1959, BG has spent some solid time snooping about in his previous gig as a high-ranking officer in the National Police. He’s been working undercover in the position of Head of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) since 2016. And if there’s one thing we know about intelligence agencies — they’ve got their eyes everywhere, except perhaps on their own press releases!
The Longest Serving Spy in History?
Now, let’s take a moment to appreciate just how long BG has managed to stick around the top desk at BIN. For eight years, and counting! I mean, in a world where some people can’t even commit to a Netflix series, BG is practically a political dynasty!
A Man of Many Connections
BG’s appointment isn’t just a simple “we like this guy” scenario. It comes wrapped in the complex paper of political alliances. There’s talk that he represents the PDIP in Prabowo’s cabinet. Yes, that’s PDIP, as in the Party of Democratic Indulgence and Politics — no, I’m kidding, it’s actually the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, but wouldn’t that be a fun tagline?
Now according to the insiders, BG has had a longstanding relationship with the PDIP, serving as a reliable aide to Megawati Soekarnoputri since the golden days of 1999. But wait! Just when you think he’s got his party membership card, some PDIP politicians seem to be playing coy about it. A real case of “it’s complicated” if I’ve ever seen one!
Let’s Not Forget His ‘Colorful’ Past
Ah, what’s a political career without a few hiccups along the way? BG’s climb hit a snag when he was essentially blacklisted from the top cop position in 2015 due to some dodgy transaction allegations. I suppose some people look at that and think “corruption,” and others think “another Tuesday in Indonesian politics!”
However, the crux of BG’s charm appears to lie in his unique ability to navigate both sides of the political divide. Praise be the political chameleon!
A Track Record that Keeps on Giving!
When you peek into BG’s resume, it reads like a “Who’s Who” in Indonesian law enforcement. Starting as the best graduate of the Police Academy back in ’83, his career spans over various notable positions, making sure to sprinkle in promotions like confetti. It’s almost inspiring if it wasn’t so mind-numbingly dull.
The Final Takeaway
With Prabowo’s latest appointment, one might wonder if BG’s tenure will be a masterpiece of political artistry or just another chaotic chapter in Indonesia’s ongoing saga of governance. Will he continue to be Prabowo’s ace up his sleeve? Or will he find himself with more baggage than a seasoned traveler?
One thing’s certain at least: no one will be bored watching this political theater unfold. So grab your popcorn — or perhaps your sambal — and stay tuned for the next performance in Indonesia’s grand political circus!
Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
President Prabowo Subianto announce the name Budi Gunawan as Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs.
BG, as he is familiarly known, was born in Surakarta, December 11 1959. This former high-ranking National Police officer’s last position was Head of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN).
No joke, BG has served as Head of BIN since September 9 2016 or around eight years. He is one of the figures who has been in that position the longest.
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The BG position at the highest level of BIN will be replaced by Deputy Minister of Defense Muhammad Herindra.
BG’s figure cannot be separated from a number of highlights. His appointment to the Red and White Cabinet, for example, was later described as representing the PDIP in Prabowo’s Cabinet.
So far, BG has often been identified as a figure close to PDIP. And that is very reasonable. BG is a former aide to Megawati Soekarnoputri since the PDIP General Chair served as Vice President in 1999.
BG was still retained as an aide when Megawati ascended the throne as President of the Republic of Indonesia. From this track record, BG’s career continued to develop until he was appointed by President Jokowi as the sole candidate for National Police Chief in early 2015.
At that time, the DPR had approved BG’s election as National Police Chief, but he failed to take the highest seat in the National Police after raising a case of alleged suspicious transactions. BG was even named a suspect by the KPK.
When talk of PDIP joining a coalition emerged, the appointment of BG as one of Prabowo’s assistants was immediately seen as the first step towards that coalition.
However, recently a number of PDIP politicians rejected BG being associated with the party. PDIP DPP Chairman Deddy Yevry Sitorus said that despite its historical closeness to PDIP, BG is still not a bull party cadre. But he did not deny that BG had a good relationship with Prabowo.
According to Deddy, BG had an important role when Prabowo joined President Joko Widodo’s second term cabinet.
Apart from that, said Deddy, BG during his two terms as Head of BIN also excelled in guiding Jokowi’s government through difficult times.
“That Mr. BG played a big role in facilitating Mr. Prabowo’s entry into Jokowi’s Cabinet,” he said.
Budi Gunawan’s career began when he graduated as the best graduate of the Police Academy (Akpol) in 1983. BG was recorded as always ranking first in various levels of education at the National Police, such as the Police Science College, the National Police Staff and Leadership School (Sespim), to the Officer School High (Sespati) Polri.
This success led Budi to become the youngest officer in his class who was promoted to brigadier general when he served as Head of the Employee Development Bureau (Binkar) of the National Police Headquarters.
Throughout his career in the police, Budi Gunawan has held various strategic positions, starting from Head of West Tanjung Karang Police, Head of Bogor Police, to Head of Jambi Regional Police. He was then promoted to Head of the Legal Development Division (Kadiv Binkum), Head of the Professional and Security Division (Kadiv Propam), and Kapolda Bali.
Not only that, Susilowati Rahayu’s husband has also served as Head of the National Police Education Institute, an institution that oversees a number of important educational institutions in the National Police such as the Police Academy, Sespim, and PTIK.
His name became increasingly known when on January 10 2015, President Jokowi proposed the name of Komjen Budi Gunawan as the sole candidate for National Police Chief. However, the legal case that caught him resulted in the seat of National Police Chief falling into the hands of General Badrodin Haiti. Budi Gunawan was then appointed Deputy Chief of Police (Wakapolri) on April 24 2015.
After 16 months as Deputy Chief of Police, President Jokowi proposed Budi Gunawan’s name as a candidate for Head of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) to the DPR on September 2 2016, and not long after he was inaugurated. The position of Head of BIN adds to Budi Gunawan’s long track record in the realm of law enforcement and state security.
(arn/wis)
[Gambas:Video CNN]
A political tale spiraling through intrigue, alliances, and more points of view than a reality show cast. Will we be celebrating BG’s successes, or will this story take a turn for the ridiculous? Either way, something tells me we’re in for a ride!