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Jusuf KallaPolitician, Vice President of Indonesia
Date of Birth: 15.05.1942
Country:  Indonesia |
Content:
Biography of Yusuf Kalla
Yusuf Kalla is a politician and the Vice President of Indonesia. He was born on May 15, 1942 in Watanpone, a city in South Sulawesi province, Indonesia. He was the second oldest among seventeen siblings. After completing school, he enrolled at Hasanuddin University in Makassar. There, he became an activist for the Indonesian Student Front for Advancement (KAMI). His political career began when he became a member of the Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD) and the Chairman of the Youth Division of the Golkar Party (the ruling party in Indonesia).
Early Career
In 1967, Kalla graduated from the Faculty of Economics. The economic situation in the country was not favorable, and his father, Haji, planned to close their family business, NV Hadji Kalla. At this moment, Yusuf Kalla entered the business world and took over the leadership of the family business. Under his leadership, NV Hadji Kalla, which was involved in exports, expanded into a huge corporation that owned hotels, construction companies, automotive businesses, bridge construction, real estate companies, telecommunications, and more.
Political Career
Kalla returned to politics in 1987 when he was appointed as a regional representative of South Sulawesi province in the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR). He was reelected to this position in 1992, 1997, and 1999. When Abdurrahman Wahid was elected president in 1999, Kalla was included in the government and became the Minister of Industry and Trade. However, he only held this position for six months until April 2000, when Wahid dismissed him along with the Minister of State Property, Laksamana Sukardi. Wahid accused both of them of corruption, although their involvement in corrupt activities was never proven.
Vice Presidency and Current Roles
In July 2001, during a special congress of the People's Assembly, a decree was signed for the resignation of President Wahid, and Megawati Sukarnoputri became the fifth president of Indonesia. She appointed Yusuf Kalla as a member of the Cabinet of Ministers and appointed him as the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare. In 2004, Kalla ran for the presidential elections, but the Golkar Party only endorsed him as the Vice President due to his non-Javanese background, a position he currently holds. He is also the Chairman of the Golkar Party. Yusuf Kalla and his wife, Mufida, have raised five children and have numerous grandchildren.
