Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, commonly referred to as SBY, is an Indonesian politician, painter and retired army general who served as the sixth president of Indonesia from 2004 to 2014 and the second president of Indonesia from the military after Suharto. He founded the Democratic Party of Indonesia and served as its 4th chairman from 2014 until 2020. He also served as the 8th and 10th coordinating minister for political and security affairs from 2000 until 2001 and again from 2001 until 2004. He also served as the president of the Assembly and chair of the Council of the Global Green Growth Institute. He was also the former chairman of ASEAN due to Indonesia hosting of the 18th and 19th ASEAN Summits.
Suharto resigned as President of Indonesia on 21 May 1998 following the collapse of support for his 32-year long presidency. Vice President B. J. Habibie took over the presidency.
The May 1998 Indonesia riots, also known colloquially as the 1998 tragedy or simply the 98 event, were incidents of mass violence and civil unrest in Indonesia, many of which targeted the country's ethnic Chinese population. The events were mainly in the cities of Medan, Jakarta and Surakarta, with smaller incidents in other parts of Indonesia.
The Kopassus is an Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as direct action, unconventional warfare, sabotage, counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, intelligence gathering and special reconnaissance (SR). Kopassus was founded by Alexander Evert Kawilarang and Mochammad Idjon Djanbi on 16 April 1952. It gained worldwide attention after several operations such as the Indonesian invasion of East Timor and the release of hostages from Garuda Indonesia Flight 206.
Prabowo Subianto Djojohadikusumo is an Indonesian politician, businessman, and retired army general serving as the eighth president of Indonesia since 20 October 2024. He was previously the 26th minister of defense under president Joko Widodo from 2019 to 2024. Prabowo is Indonesia's third president to have a military background after Suharto and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY). He has been described as a right-wing nationalist. He is also the first president to not have a first spouse, as well as president with the least number of children (one).
The Post-Suharto era is the contemporary history in Indonesia, which began with the resignation of authoritarian president Suharto on 21 May 1998. Since his resignation, the country has been in a period of transition known as the Reform era. This period has been characterised by a more open political-social environment and grassroots economic improvement.
General (Ret.) Leonardus Benjamin Moerdani was the ABRI Commander from 1983 to 1988 and also served as Indonesia's Minister of Defense and Security. He is famous due to his strong stance in many decisive situations in Indonesian political and social life. He was also significant as a leader who was Catholic in a predominantly Muslim community.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Indonesia:
Sumitro Djojohadikusumo was an Indonesian statesman and one of the country's most influential economists. He held ministerial positions under Presidents Sukarno and Suharto intermittently between 1950 and 1978. During his career in government, Sumitro served as Minister of Industry and Trade, Minister of Finance, and the Minister of Research in five different cabinets. He was also the Dean of the Faculty of Economics at the University of Indonesia.
The 1997–1998 activists kidnappings were abductions of pro-democracy activists which happened between the 1997 Indonesian Legislative Election and the fall of Suharto in 1998. The kidnappings took place in three different phases: before the May 1997 Indonesian legislative elections, two months before the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) session in March 1998 and in the period just before Soeharto's 21 May resignation. None of those abducted during the first and third period have reappeared. Some of the activists who were abducted in the second period have openly spoken about their experiences.
Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan is an Indonesian politician, businessman, and retired four-star Army general who has been serving as Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment since October 2019. He previously served in various posts in his political career, including the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs from July 2016 to October 2019, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs from August 2015 to July 2016, and Chief of Staff to President Joko Widodo. He was also Minister of Trade and Industry in President Abdurrahman Wahid's cabinet and Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore from 1999 to 2000.
The Ministry of Defense is an Indonesian government ministry responsible for the defense of Indonesia. The ministry was formerly known as the Department of Defense until 2009 when the nomenclature changed based on Act Number 39 of 2008 on State Ministries, the name of the Department of Defense was changed to the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Indonesia. The currently-appointed minister is Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, replacing Prabowo Subianto, who was elected President, on 21 October 2024.
General (Ret.) Ryamizard Ryacudu is an Indonesian politician who served as the Minister of Defense of Indonesia from 2014 until 2019. He previously served as Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army from 2002 to 2005, and was Commander of Army Strategic Command from 2000 to 2002.
Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, commonly referred to as AHY, is an Indonesian politician and former army major who is currently serving as the leader of the Democratic Party. Serving in the Army from 2000 until 2016, he is the executive director of the Yudhoyono Institute and founder of the Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono Foundation. He is the son of former Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, more commonly known as SBY.
Fadli Zon is an Indonesian politician currently serving as Minister for Cultural Affairs. He was one of the founders of Prabowo Subianto's Gerindra Party (Gerindra), where he is vice chairman.
Major General (Ret.) Muchdi Purwopranjono is an Indonesian politician and former major general who served briefly as chief of the Indonesian Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) and was former deputy head of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN). He was relieved of command duties in 1998 after the fall of Soeharto and was subsequently deemed responsible for abductions of pro-democracy activists. In 2008, he was acquitted of commissioning and assisting in the 2004 assassination of human rights campaigner Munir, following a trial deemed flawed by human rights organizations. He is presently the leader of a breakaway faction of Tommy Soeharto’s Berkarya Party and his leadership is recognized by the government.
Fachrul Razi is an Indonesian politician and retired army officer who serves as Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs since 23 October 2019. He is only the third person of military background to occupy the office, after Navy retiree Tarmizi Taher (1993–1998) and Army general Alamsyah Ratu Perwiranegara (1978–1983). As Tarmizi was a 2-star admiral and Alamsyah was a 3-star general, Fachrul – a 4-star general – is the highest-ranked military officer to have ever held this ministerial office.
General elections were held in Indonesia on 14 February 2024 to elect the president, vice president, and People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), which consists of the House of Representatives (DPR), the Regional Representative Council (DPD), and members of local legislative bodies (DPRD) at the provincial and city/regency levels. The newly elected members of the MPR would be sworn in on 1 October 2024, while the elected president and vice president would be sworn in on 20 October 2024. Incumbent President Joko Widodo was ineligible to run for a third term due to limitations established by the Indonesian constitution.
Bambang Kristiono was an Indonesian military officer and politician of the Gerindra Party who served as a member of the People's Representative Council from 2019 until his death in 2023. He previously served in Kopassus, Indonesia's special forces, and was arrested during the early years of the post-Suharto era for his involvement in kidnapping political activists.
