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Will Indonesian tycoon-turned-minister Sandiaga Uno run for nation’s top job?

  • Analysts familiar with ‘complex’ Indonesian politics will take the long view that he is likely to continue to parlay his political capital
  • If he seeks the presidency, Sandiaga faces a tough battle ahead with polls still showing him falling short of current front runners

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Sandiaga Uno speaking at the China-Asean Connectivity and Tourism Post-Covid-19 lecture organised by the Hong Kong-Asean Foundation. Photo: SCMP / Jonathan Wong

Looking at multimillionaire investor Sandiaga Uno’s political career, one might be tempted to conclude he is an also-ran, given the field of competitors he is up against.

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But those familiar with the rough and tumble of Indonesian politics will take the long view that he is likely to continue to parlay his political capital well. From first clinching the post of deputy governor of capital city Jakarta in 2017 to taking on President Joko Widodo as an opposing vice-presidential candidate in the 2019 polls and then being inducted as a member of the latter’s cabinet over the past four years, Sandiaga has managed to stay in the spotlight. Now, speculation is rife he might fancy a run for the top job.
In an interview with This Week in Asia while in Hong Kong last week, the tycoon turned tourism and creative-economy minister did not rule out running but remained tight-lipped about his next moves.

He also found himself at an apt platform to raise his international profile – speaking at a forum on China-Asean connectivity in the post-pandemic era – as whispers of a potential run continued to gain traction back home.

In the crowd at the forum held by the Hong Kong-Asean Foundation were business partners and friends, and the minister spoke fondly of his connections with the city and how it gave him a leg up in his business ventures.

Asked during a fireside chat whether he wanted to be his country’s next president, Sandiaga, 53, grinned and insisted he was only focused on the task at hand.

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As political parties begin announcing their presidential candidates with Widodo, 61, stepping down after serving the two-term limit set for the presidency, the minister said a worthy track record would speak for itself.

If he seeks the presidency, Sandiaga Uno faces a tough battle ahead with polls still showing him falling short of current front runners. Photo: SCMP
If he seeks the presidency, Sandiaga Uno faces a tough battle ahead with polls still showing him falling short of current front runners. Photo: SCMP
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