Suryadharma Ali

Suryadharma Ali (born 19 September 1956) is an Indonesian politician who was the president of the United Development Party from 2007 to 2014 as well as Minister of Religious Affairs from 2009 to 2014 under then-president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Suryadharma Ali
21st Minister of Religious Affairs of Indonesia
In office 22 October 2009 – 28 May 2014
President	Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Preceded by	Muhammad Maftuh Basyuni
Succeeded by	Agung Laksono (acting) Lukman Hakim Saifuddin
Leader of the United Development Party
In office 3 February 2007 – 16 October 2014
Preceded by	Hamzah Haz
Succeeded by	Muhammad Romahurmuziy
Personal details
Born	(1956-09-19) 19 September 1956 (age 68) Jakarta, Indonesia
Political party	PPP
Spouse	Wardatul Asriah
Children	Kartika Yudistira Suryadharma Sherlita Nabila Suryadharma Abdurrahman Sagara Prakasa Nadia Jesica Nurul Wardani
Alma mater	Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta
Profession	Politician

During his time in office Suryadharma was seen as a religious traditionalists who was often unwilling to compromise on issues.^[1] As religious affairs minister Suryadharma was unwilling to extend government recognition to the Baháʼí Faith, a minority group in the country.^[1]

In May 2014 Suryadharma was indicted in a corruption scandal involving illicit use of funds intended for the hajj. In 2018 Suryadharma was convicted and ordered to pay 27 billion RS to the state. He was sentenced for 6 years in jail and fined 300 million rupiah.^[2] Shortly after being accused in 2014 Suryadharma resigned as minister of religious affairs.^[3]

References

1. Alexander R. Arifianto, Indonesian Islamic Parties After the 2014 Elections. Taken from ISEAS Perspective: Watching the Indonesian Elections 2014 Archived 11 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine, pg. 129. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2015. ISBN 9789814620833
2. "Suryadharma gets 6 years for haj scam". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
3. Yulida Medistiara (2 July 2018). "Suryadharma Ali Pakai Putusan MK untuk Bukti di Sidang PK" (in Indonesian). Detick News. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.