papuachronicle.co – Papua. Three figures from Papua are appointed to become ministers and deputy ministers in the Red and White Cabinet led by Prabowo-Gibran. One of them is Bahlil Lahadalia who is chosen to become Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources.
Bahlil is not a new member of the cabinet, he was the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources during the Jokowi tenure. Previously, he was also trusted as Minister of Investment/Head of BKPM.
The man born in Fakfak, West Papua is an activist who graduated from the Islamic Student Association (HMI). In addition, he also served as the General Chair of HIPMI for the 2015-2019 period.
He was born into a family with a father who worked as a construction worker and a mother who worked as a washerwoman. Since elementary school, Bahlil helped the family’s economy by selling cakes at school. In junior high school, he was a public transportation conductor, and in high school, he was a public transportation driver.
His efforts to be able to go to school paid off when he succeeded in continuing his higher education at the Port Numbay School of Economics in Papua. After completing college, Bahlil worked as a contract employee at the Sucofindo company.
Over time, he pioneered a business with his friends by establishing a financial and IT consulting office. At the age of 25, Bahlil became the regional director of the consultant in Papua and led 70 employees.
His wealth includes 18 plots of land and buildings with a total value of IDR 291.61 billion, most of which are located in Jayapura, Papua, and in Gianyar, Bali, and South Jakarta.
In addition, Bahlil owns two cars with a total value of IDR 98.40 million. The details are a 2007 Toyota Harrier for IDR 57,800,000 and a 2010 Honda CRV for IDR 40,600,000.
Then securities worth IDR 1.61 billion, cash and cash equivalents worth IDR 17.09 billion, and other assets worth IDR 149.06 billion. Now Bahlil Lahadalia has been reappointed by President Prabowo to serve as Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM).
The ESDM sector is one of the vital sectors for Indonesia’s economic growth and energy security, especially in facing global challenges such as energy transition, dependence on fossil fuels, and the development of new and renewable energy.
As Minister of ESDM, Bahlil is faced with various major challenges, including natural resource management, green energy transformation, and strengthening the energy sector to drive economic growth.
One of Bahlil’s important agendas is to accelerate the energy transition towards more environmentally friendly energy sources, as well as ensuring the sustainability of the use of Indonesia’s abundant mineral resources.