Setya Novanto
Setya Novanto, colloquially referred to as Setnov, is an Indonesian former politician, presently serving a 15 year prison sentence for corruption. He was chairman of Golkar Party and speaker of the People's Representative Council until his arrest in 2017 for corruption. Born in Bandung, he entered politics in 1998 after a business career and became a member of the People's Representative Council following the 1999 general election. After he was re-elected for a third time in the 2014 general election, won by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, he was appointed DPR Speaker by the majority opposition coalition.
In 1998, Setya became vice-treasurer of Golkar's central organization, and the following year was elected to the People's Representative Council, beginning his political career. However, his political career was plagued by corruption scandals. He resigned as DPR speaker in late 2015 amid an ethics investigation, but the following year, he was appointed chairman of Golkar, switched the party's allegiance to the governing coalition, and was reappointed DPR speaker in November 2016. Despite facing multiple allegations of corruption, he did not face trial until his implication in the embezzlement of funds from a national electronic ID card program. Following his arrest by the Corruption Eradication Commission in November 2017, he resigned as DPR speaker for a second time and was later removed as Golkar chairman. He was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in April 2018. Since then, he has often left jail, purportedly for medical examinations, although he was once spotted at a shopping center.
Early life, education and career
The fifth of eight children, Setya Novanto was born on 12 November 1955 in the West Java capital of Bandung to Sewondo Mangunratsongko and Julia Maria Sulastri. After he completed kindergarten, his family moved to the East Java capital of Surabaya, where he went to elementary school. His parents later divorced, with his father remaining in Surabaya, while his mother and the children moved to Jakarta in 1967. His mother made a living by selling cakes from door to door. Setya attended Tebet Junior High School 73 and then Senior High School 9 in South Jakarta.After high school, Setya moved back to Surabaya for higher education, but he reportedly refused to stay with his father and instead stayed with friends. He studied accounting management at Widya Mandala Catholic University. He sold honey and rice to support himself, starting with capital of just Rp82,500 and growing to running two trucks selling rice delivered from Lamongan regency. He also operated a stall at the city’s Keputren Market but reportedly fell afoul of dishonest partners.
While still a student, Setya founded a company called Mandar Teguh with Hartawan, the son of the director of Bank Rakyat Indonesia for Surabaya. He was hired by a Suzuki dealership as a car salesman for the Eastern Indonesia region. He also worked as a model and was awarded the title of Most Handsome Man of Surabaya in 1975.
After graduating from university in 1979, Setya worked for PT Anindya Cipta Perdana, a company variously described as a distributor of fertilizer, cement and building materials for East Nusa Tenggara province. The company was owned by Setya’s former high school classmate, Hayono Isman, who would later become youth affairs and sports minister under president Suharto. PT Anindya Cipta Perdana reportedly failed after two years, but it led to Setya's long-running involvement with East Nusa Tenggara, which he would later represent as a legislator for four terms for Golkar Party. He was reported to be a frequent donor to churches and farmers on his visits to the province, but environmentalists accused him of exploiting local people for his financial benefit.
Setya returned to Jakarta in 1979 and stayed at Hayono’s Menteng house. According to Leo Nababan, a deputy secretary general of Golkar, Setya became the personal driver of the Hayono family. In Jakarta, Setya studied accounting at Trisakti University and opened a photocopying service near the campus to support himself.
Setya’s business career took off after he married Luciana Lily Herliyanti, the daughter of West Java Police deputy chief Brigadier General Sudharsono. He started managing his in-laws’ gas station in Cikokol, Tangerang, then branched out into livestock, contracting, buying and selling paper and textiles, and developing hotels and golf courses. His business interests were spread across Jakarta, Batam and Kupang.
As a businessman, Setya proved adept at lobbying and networking, especially among people close to officials, from aides to personal secretaries and subordinates. He was also comfortable carrying the bags of high-ranking military officers, such as General Wismoyo Arismunandar. This gave him entry to the elite community of Indonesian sports organizations, which were dominated by senior military officials and tycoons. In 1986, Setya completed the Nagoya Plaza Hotel project on Batam Island. Seeking more capital for a bigger resort, he tried to approach Suharto’s cousin, tycoon Sudwikatmono. Setya reportedly spent days at a parking lot, from 6am to 10pm, trying to speak to Sudwikatmono, who finally decided to give him a chance. Their partnership led to the opening in 1989 of the Talvas Golf and Country Club, a 400-hectare golf course and resort on Batam that cost $100 million. This was followed by more resorts and hotels, and telecommunications and satellite projects.
From 1995 to 1996, Setya was chairman of Bamuhas Kosgoro, one of Golkar's constituent organizations. He was treasurer of the National Sports Committee of Indonesia from 1995 to 2003.
Dealings with Suharto family
Setya first met Suharto in 1989 at the opening of the Talvas golf course on Batam.In 1991, Suharto’s eldest daughter, Siti Hardiyanti Hastuti ‘Tutut’ Rukmana appointed Setya to lead PT Citra Permatasakti Persada, a company selected by police to make Indonesian driving licenses from 1992 to 1998. Of the official fee of Rp52,500 per license, Rp48,500 was allocated to CCP and the remaining Rp4,000 to the state treasury. In 1992, Rp48,500 was equivalent to $24. The State Audit Agency recorded that from October 1992 to March 1998, PT CPP produced 16,575,710 licenses. The cost of producing a license at that time was put at Rp11,000.
In 1992, Elsye Sigit, the wife of Suharto’s oldest son Sigit Harjojudanto, appointed Setya to become involved in PT Solusindo Mitra Sejati, a company that was in February 1993 given a contract to computerize the system for making Indonesian identity cards. Data for ID cards had previously been entered on typewriters, enabling some individuals to hold multiple cards. An agreement between PT SMS and the Home Affairs Ministry was signed in February 1993. It was temporarily suspended by Home Affairs Minister Yogie Suardi Memet amid claims that some parties had been excluded from the deal. When the deal resumed, proposed fees in 1995 for identity cards, family cards, birth certificates and death certificates were raised between 100% and 350%.
Setya chaired a committee that produced a 1996 book titled President Suharto's Management as Narrated by 17 Ministers. He said the book was the result of two years of hard work and he hoped it would inspire Indonesia's younger generation to emulate the science and art of Suharto's management style.
Political career
In 1998, Setya became vice-treasurer of Golkar's central organization, and the following year was elected to the People's Representative Council representing Indonesia-occupied East Timor. He had a difficult year as East Timor voted for independence and he was caught up in a corruption scandal.In 2004, Setya was re-elected to the legislature as a representative from West Timor. He was re-elected in 2009, representing the same area, and became head of the Golkar Party faction in the legislature. He also became a member of House Commission III, which discusses legal affairs and laws, human rights and security issues.
In 2014, Setya was elected for a fourth time, still representing Timor, and was selected as speaker of Indonesia's House of Representatives by the opposition Koalisi Merah Putih, which initially controlled the parliament. After being caught on tape demanding shares from Freeport Indonesia, Setya resigned as House speaker on 16 December 2015, shortly after a House committee ruled his actions had violated House ethics.
Setya was elected chairman of Golkar Party at its 15–17 May 2016 party conference. He then announced that Golkar was now supporting the government of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, despite having backed Jokowi’s rival, Prabowo Subianto, in the 2014 presidential election. In mid-November 2016, despite having been angered by Setya's use of his name in the demand for Freeport shares, President Jokowi invited Setya to the State Palace for a meeting. Golkar subsequently decided to reinstate Setya as House speaker, and he was officially re-appointed on 30 November 2016.
On 9 December 2017, it was reported that Setya had resigned as House speaker ahead of his corruption trial. He nominated Golkar politician Azis Syamsuddin as his successor. Deputy House Speaker Fadli Zon on 11 December said Setya's resignation had been accepted by a meeting of the House's Deliberation Council but a successor was yet to be selected. Legislators said the House had received Setya's resignation letters on 4 December and 6 December, and the meeting of the Deliberation Council had decided Golkar Party's House faction should handle the matter of a replacement. Golkar on 13 December 2017 replaced Setya with Airlangga Hartarto as party chairman. Setya's replacement in the legislative body was sworn in on 31 October 2018.
Trump rally
In September 2015, Setya visited New York to attend the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament. He and some fellow Indonesian legislators, including Fadli Zon, then had a half hour business meeting with Donald Trump and joined one of his campaign rallies at Trump Tower in New York. Their presence was arranged by Trump’s Indonesian business partner, Hary Tanoesoedibjo. After appearing to wrap up the rally, Trump returned to the podium with Setya in hand. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is a very, an amazing man,” declared Trump. “He is, as you know, right, Speaker of the House of Indonesia. He’s here to see me. Setya Novantno . One of the most powerful men and a great man and his whole group is here to see me today and we will do great things for the United States.”Some Indonesian legislators later demanded sanctions against Setya and Fadli for appearing to take sides in the US presidential election while on an official visit. The pair were investigated by the House Honor Council, but they skipped three ethics hearings. Despite their repeated refusal to attend the hearings, the pair were merely given a reprimand for having publicly endorsed Trump.