Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak
Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak is an Indonesian politician from the Gerindra party, an activist in the Islamic organization Muhammadiyah, a former lecturer, and an economist. He previously served as the spokesperson for Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and is currently the Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah of Indonesia, a position he has held since 8 September 2025.
Education and career
Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak was born in Salahaji village, Pematang Jaya, Langkat Regency, North Sumatra. He spent his early childhood in Kuala Simpang, attending TK Aisyiyah, SDN Sriwijaya, and SMPN 1 Kuala Simpang in Aceh Tamiang. His family later moved to Sibolga, North Sumatra, where he continued his education at SMP Negeri 1 Sibolga. Following junior high school, the family relocated to Tangerang City.Simanjuntak earned a bachelor's degree in Public Accounting from the Ahmad Dahlan Institute of Technology and Business in Jakarta. In 2005, he enrolled in the Master's Program in Public Planning and Policy with a concentration in Central and Regional Financial Decentralization at the University of Indonesia Faculty of Economics. While completing his master's degree, he worked as a lecturer at Muhammadiyah University of Tangerang, then known as STIE Muhammadiyah Tangerang. After obtaining his master's, he was appointed a civil servant lecturer in the Faculty of Economics at Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University in Banten. In 2018, he commenced a Doctorate in Economics at Diponegoro University in Semarang. That same year, he was appointed coordinator of spokespersons for the Prabowo-Sandi National Winning Body for the 2019 presidential election and subsequently resigned from his university position.
In November 2014, at the XVI Muktamar held at the Hajj Dormitory in Padang, West Sumatra, Simanjuntak was elected General Chairman of the Central Leadership of Pemuda Muhammadiyah for the 2014–2018 term. He succeeded Saleh Partaonan Daulay, receiving 450 votes against Syahrul Hasan, Rohmat Suprapto, King Faisal, Amirudin, and M. Aziz.
Simanjuntak has also served as President of the Religion for Peace Asia and Pacific Youth Interfaith Network. In the private sector, he owns and operates a culinary business within the Begawan Kupie coffee shop network.
Following his role as coordinator of spokespersons for the Prabowo-Sandi campaign in 2018, Simanjuntak joined the Gerindra Party in 2019 and was appointed official spokesperson for Prabowo Subianto. After Prabowo Subianto was appointed Minister of Defense of Indonesia in 2019, Simanjuntak was appointed a Special Staff to the Minister of Defense, with a portfolio covering public communication, socio-economics, and inter-institutional relations.