Yusril Ihza Mahendra
Encyclopedia
Yusril Ihza Mahendra is an Indonesia
n politician
. Yusril was formerly the chairman of Crescent Star Party
(PBB).
After completing his primary and secondary education, Yusril left for Jakarta
in 1976 to attend the University of Indonesia (UI). To compensate for living costs, Yusril had to lodge at various mosque
s in the city. In addition to that, Yusril had to find part time work to fund his studies. Yusril took on various jobs, becoming a tutor in teaching children in reading the koran, teaching martial arts
, and selling fishes and coconuts.
Throughout this period, Yusril became close with his lecturer, Professor
Usman. In turn, Usman would introduce Yusril to his political hero, Mohammad Natsir. Natsir was an Islamist politician, former Prime Minister of Indonesia, and Chairman of the Indonesian Muslims Advisory Council (Masyumi), a major Muslim Party that had rivalled Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in the 1950s.
Yusril also began to involve himself in organizational activities. In 1981, he became Vice Chairman of the Indonesian Youth Mosque Communication Body. A position which he held until 1982.
in Philosophy
and followed it up the next year with a Bachelor's Degree
in Governance. Following this, Yusril became a lecturer at the Muhammadiyah
University in Jakarta (UMJ), and at the Socialization Skills Academy in the Ministry of Justice. In the meantime, Yusril attended postgraduate studies.
Yusril then went to India
to attend the University of the Punjab
. In 1984, Yusril graduated with a Master's Degree
in Humanities and Social Science. When he returned to Indonesia, Yusril became a lecturer for UI and UMJ. At UI, Yusril was involved in the law faculty and taught postgraduate courses.
In 1993, Yusril graduated from the University of Science, Malaysia and became a Doctor of Philosophy
.
Council (DDII). At the same time, he became Chairman of the Legal Department of the Jakarta Branch of the Union of Indonesian Intellectual Muslims (ICMI) while serving as Vice Chairman of the ICMI Council of Experts.
Also in 1996, Yusril was employed by President Suharto as a speechwriter
. Yusril would go on to write 204 speeches for Suharto.
When Suharto was re-elected to his final term as President in March 1998, Yusril was appointed Aide to the Assistant of the State Secretary. From this position, Yusril was closely involved in the final moments of Suharto's Presidency. When Suharto finally decided to resign, Yusril was involved in the drafting of the resignation speech, giving input so that the speech was legally accurate. During the crucial moments, Yusril managed to have a disagreement with Suharto over the speech. Suharto wanted to declare that the cabinet was now disbanded while Yusril argued that the Cabinet would not be disbanded because it will continue under the leadership of the next President. Suharto then personally made the necessary edits. When all was set, Yusril went to see Amien Rais
to inform him that Suharto was resigning. The next morning on 21 May 1998, Suharto announced his resignation.
To achieve his political goal, Yusril formed PBB on 17 July 1998 and was elected as its first Chairman. In June 1999, PBB participated in the 1999 Legislative Elections and came 6th with 2.84% of the votes.
In the lead up to the People's Consultative Assembly
(MPR) General Session, PBB joined forces with the other Muslim Parties to form the Central Axis. As the MPR assembled in 1999, the Central Axis had their support behind National Awakening Party
's Abdurrahman Wahid
with their opponents being Golkar
's President Habibie and the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle
's (PDI-P) Megawati Sukarnoputri
. When Habibie's accountability speech was not accepted, he refused to run and the Presidential race came down to Wahid and Megawati. Yusril, perhaps worried that Wahid might also drop out of the race had himself nominated as a Presidential Candidate. However, Yusril would drop out of the race with little time to spare before the election process and Wahid would emerge as the President.
Cabinet, Yusril was appointed to the position of Minister of Laws and Legislations. During the Wahid Presidency, Yusril had a major policy difference when Wahid threw up the idea of lifting the ban on Marxism-Leninism
. Yusril responded by threatening to resign from his position. A threat that was widely supported by PBB. Nevertheless, Wahid's idea never materialized and despite his differences, Yusril was retained as Minister. When political pressure began to put Wahid on the defensive in early 2001, Yusril suggested during a Cabinet Meeting that Wahid resign. Wahid's response was to remove Yusril from the Cabinet.
Now out of the Cabinet, Yusril and PBB threw their weight behind all the other political parties planning to impeach Wahid through a MPR Special Session. This was achieved in July 2001 when the MPR unanimously impeached Wahid and elected Megawati to the Presidency. In Megawati's Cabinet, Yusril was appointed to the position of Minister of Justice and Human Rights. As Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Yusril worked on the Anti-Terrorism Bill (Which would become the Anti-Terrorism Act) after the 2002 Bali bombings. Yusril also sought to improve the quality of Judges in Indonesia.
in their bid for the Presidency and the Vice Presidency. For his support, Yusril was rewarded with the position of State Secretary.
In 2005, Yusril was replaced as PBB Chairman by MS Kaban but became the Chairman of PBB's Advisory Council.
On 7 May 2007, Yusril was replaced as State Secretary by Hatta Rajasa
.
Less than one year after that, he married with Rika Tolentino Kato in September 2006.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. Yusril was formerly the chairman of Crescent Star Party
Crescent Star Party
-History:The party's origins go back to the banning of the Masyumi Party by President Sukarno in 1960. After the ban, supporters and followers of the party established the Crescent Star Family to continue to press for the implementation of Sharia law and Islamic teaching in Indonesia...
(PBB).
Early life
Yusril Ihza Mahendra was born on 5 February 1956 to Idris Haji Sainal and Norsiha in Manggar, Bangka Belitung.After completing his primary and secondary education, Yusril left for Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
in 1976 to attend the University of Indonesia (UI). To compensate for living costs, Yusril had to lodge at various mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
s in the city. In addition to that, Yusril had to find part time work to fund his studies. Yusril took on various jobs, becoming a tutor in teaching children in reading the koran, teaching martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
, and selling fishes and coconuts.
Throughout this period, Yusril became close with his lecturer, Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
Usman. In turn, Usman would introduce Yusril to his political hero, Mohammad Natsir. Natsir was an Islamist politician, former Prime Minister of Indonesia, and Chairman of the Indonesian Muslims Advisory Council (Masyumi), a major Muslim Party that had rivalled Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in the 1950s.
Yusril also began to involve himself in organizational activities. In 1981, he became Vice Chairman of the Indonesian Youth Mosque Communication Body. A position which he held until 1982.
Academic career
In 1982, Yusril graduated with a Bachelor's DegreeBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and followed it up the next year with a Bachelor's Degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Governance. Following this, Yusril became a lecturer at the Muhammadiyah
Muhammadiyah
Muhammadiyah is an Islamic organization in Indonesia. Muhammadiyah, literally means "followers of Muhammad"...
University in Jakarta (UMJ), and at the Socialization Skills Academy in the Ministry of Justice. In the meantime, Yusril attended postgraduate studies.
Yusril then went to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to attend the University of the Punjab
University of the Punjab
University of the Punjab , colloquially known as Punjab University, is located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The University of the Punjab is the oldest and biggest University of Pakistan. The University of the Punjab was formally established with the convening of the first meeting of its...
. In 1984, Yusril graduated with a Master's Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Humanities and Social Science. When he returned to Indonesia, Yusril became a lecturer for UI and UMJ. At UI, Yusril was involved in the law faculty and taught postgraduate courses.
In 1993, Yusril graduated from the University of Science, Malaysia and became a Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
.
Organizational Experiences and Early Governmental Career
Yusril's Islamist views meant that his scope was not just limited to the academic world. In 1996, Yusril became a member of the Central Committee of the Indonesian Islamic DawahDawah
Da‘wah or Dawah usually denotes the preaching of Islam. Da‘wah literally means "issuing a summons" or "making an invitation", being the active participle of a verb meaning variously "to summon" or "to invite"...
Council (DDII). At the same time, he became Chairman of the Legal Department of the Jakarta Branch of the Union of Indonesian Intellectual Muslims (ICMI) while serving as Vice Chairman of the ICMI Council of Experts.
Also in 1996, Yusril was employed by President Suharto as a speechwriter
Speechwriter
A speechwriter is a person who is hired to prepare and write speeches that will be delivered by another person. Speechwriters are used by many senior-level elected officials and executives in the government and private sectors.-Skills and training:...
. Yusril would go on to write 204 speeches for Suharto.
When Suharto was re-elected to his final term as President in March 1998, Yusril was appointed Aide to the Assistant of the State Secretary. From this position, Yusril was closely involved in the final moments of Suharto's Presidency. When Suharto finally decided to resign, Yusril was involved in the drafting of the resignation speech, giving input so that the speech was legally accurate. During the crucial moments, Yusril managed to have a disagreement with Suharto over the speech. Suharto wanted to declare that the cabinet was now disbanded while Yusril argued that the Cabinet would not be disbanded because it will continue under the leadership of the next President. Suharto then personally made the necessary edits. When all was set, Yusril went to see Amien Rais
Amien Rais
Amien Rais is a prominent Indonesian politician who led and inspired the reform movement that forced the resignation of President Suharto in 1998. Amien Rais was the leader of Muhammadiyah, one of the two biggest Muslim organizations in Indonesia, from 1995 to 2000...
to inform him that Suharto was resigning. The next morning on 21 May 1998, Suharto announced his resignation.
Reformasi
With Suharto's fall from power, opportunity opened up for Yusril to get himself into politics and air his views. As a politician, Yusril was very much influenced by Natsir and called for the Jakarta Charter to be included in the Constitution. In the 1945 Constitution, Article 29 Section 1 originally read "The State is based on the belief in God with the obligation to obey Sharia law for its adherers". However, the Section was edited to "The State is based on the belief in God" to make it sound more secular.To achieve his political goal, Yusril formed PBB on 17 July 1998 and was elected as its first Chairman. In June 1999, PBB participated in the 1999 Legislative Elections and came 6th with 2.84% of the votes.
In the lead up to the People's Consultative Assembly
People's Consultative Assembly
The People's Consultative Assembly is the legislative branch in Indonesia's political system. It is composed of the members of the People's Representative Council and the Regional Representative Council. Before 2004, and the amendments to the 1945 Constitution, the MPR was the highest governing...
(MPR) General Session, PBB joined forces with the other Muslim Parties to form the Central Axis. As the MPR assembled in 1999, the Central Axis had their support behind National Awakening Party
National Awakening Party
-Origins:The story of PKB establishment began in May 11, 1998 when the elders Kyai held a meeting at Pesantren Langitan. They discussed the latest situation that demands changes to save Indonesian nation from destruction. As a result Kyai make an official letter to Pak Harto requested he fell or...
's Abdurrahman Wahid
Abdurrahman Wahid
Abdurrahman Wahid, born Abdurrahman Addakhil , colloquially known as , was an Indonesian Muslim religious and political leader who served as the President of Indonesia from 1999 to 2001...
with their opponents being Golkar
Golkar
The Party of the Functional Groups is a political party in Indonesia. It is also known as Sekber Golkar . It was the ruling party during Suharto's regime...
's President Habibie and the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle
Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle
The Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle is an Indonesian political party. It is led by Megawati Sukarnoputri, the daughter of Indonesian independence leader and first president Sukarno. Megawati was President of Indonesia from 2001 to 2004...
's (PDI-P) Megawati Sukarnoputri
Megawati Sukarnoputri
In this Indonesian name, the name "Sukarnoputri" is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name "Megawati"....
. When Habibie's accountability speech was not accepted, he refused to run and the Presidential race came down to Wahid and Megawati. Yusril, perhaps worried that Wahid might also drop out of the race had himself nominated as a Presidential Candidate. However, Yusril would drop out of the race with little time to spare before the election process and Wahid would emerge as the President.
Wahid and Megawati Presidencies
When Wahid named his National UnityNational Unity
National Unity Governments are coalition governments made up of all or most parties in a parliament. They are usually formed in times of war or severe political crisis.National Unity is the name of political parties in various countries -...
Cabinet, Yusril was appointed to the position of Minister of Laws and Legislations. During the Wahid Presidency, Yusril had a major policy difference when Wahid threw up the idea of lifting the ban on Marxism-Leninism
Marxism-Leninism
Marxism–Leninism is a communist ideology, officially based upon the theories of Marxism and Vladimir Lenin, that promotes the development and creation of a international communist society through the leadership of a vanguard party over a revolutionary socialist state that represents a dictatorship...
. Yusril responded by threatening to resign from his position. A threat that was widely supported by PBB. Nevertheless, Wahid's idea never materialized and despite his differences, Yusril was retained as Minister. When political pressure began to put Wahid on the defensive in early 2001, Yusril suggested during a Cabinet Meeting that Wahid resign. Wahid's response was to remove Yusril from the Cabinet.
Now out of the Cabinet, Yusril and PBB threw their weight behind all the other political parties planning to impeach Wahid through a MPR Special Session. This was achieved in July 2001 when the MPR unanimously impeached Wahid and elected Megawati to the Presidency. In Megawati's Cabinet, Yusril was appointed to the position of Minister of Justice and Human Rights. As Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Yusril worked on the Anti-Terrorism Bill (Which would become the Anti-Terrorism Act) after the 2002 Bali bombings. Yusril also sought to improve the quality of Judges in Indonesia.
2004 Elections and the Yudhoyono Presidency
As 2004 approached, Yusril's name began to emerge as a Presidential Candidate. Yusril said that he was ready to run, provided that PBB finished in the Top 3 in the Legislative Elections. PBB failed to do this, gaining only 2% of the votes in the Legislative Elections. Yusril finally decided to support Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf KallaJusuf Kalla
is an Indonesian politician who was the 10th Vice President of Indonesia from 2004 to 2009 and Chairman of the Golkar Party during the same period. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the 2009 presidential election.-Early life:...
in their bid for the Presidency and the Vice Presidency. For his support, Yusril was rewarded with the position of State Secretary.
In 2005, Yusril was replaced as PBB Chairman by MS Kaban but became the Chairman of PBB's Advisory Council.
On 7 May 2007, Yusril was replaced as State Secretary by Hatta Rajasa
Hatta Rajasa
Ir. M. Hatta Rajasa is the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs in the Second United Indonesia Cabinet. Previously, he was the State Secretary, Minister of Transport and Minister for Research and Technology in the Mutual Assistance Cabinet .Hatta Rajasa is a Palembang Malay...
.
Personal life
Yusril was married with Kessy Sukaesih, and they have four children's. He divorced Sukaesih in November 2005.Less than one year after that, he married with Rika Tolentino Kato in September 2006.