Kalla: Businessman to vice president<\/p>\n
Andi Hajramurni, Contributor, Makassar<\/p>\n
It never occurred to Muhammad Jusuf Kalla that he would ever
\nbecome vice president.<\/p>\n
He always had the ambition, as did his parents, to become a
\nsuccessful businessman. A businessman he eventually became and he
\nhas seriously applied himself to his chosen field.<\/p>\n
He never thought of switching to another field or even joining
\nthe government bureaucracy, that is, not until Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono asked him to be his running mate in the recent
\npresidential race.<\/p>\n
Destiny is indeed hard to foresee. Jusuf Kalla, known
\naffectionately as Ucu, said he had never imagined being
\nIndonesia's second man. He has always led a life without any
\ngrandiose ambitions. He regards flowing water as a metaphor for
\nhis philosophy on life.<\/p>\n
\"It has been my ambition since childhood to be a successful
\nbusinessman so that I can continue my late parents' businesses. I
\nnever imagined being vice president.<\/p>\n
\"I lead my life just like flowing water,\" he said on the
\nsidelines of a gathering with residents of South Sulawesi, in
\nMakassar, moments after the General Elections Commission
\nofficially declared him and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, as the
\nwinners of the presidential election.<\/p>\n
Thanks to his philosophy on life, Jusuf Kalla, born in
\nWatampone on May 15, 1942 as the second child of Haji Kalla and
\nAthirah, has remained a modest person, who is not ambitious, but
\nhardworking and responsible despite the great wealth of his
\nfamily.<\/p>\n
For him, nothing is impossible as long there is a will to try
\nand to learn. He has also inculcated this philosophy in the minds
\nof his siblings and his employees.<\/p>\n
Born in a family of businesspeople, Jusuf, who is married to
\nMufidah, has clearly been endowed with the entrepreneurial
\nspirit, especially because his parents hoped that he would later
\ntake over the family business.<\/p>\n
That's why, after completing senior high school, he joined the
\nschool of economics at Hasanuddin University in Makassar,
\ngraduating in 1967.<\/p>\n
A year later, his father, Hadji Kalla, handed over his
\ncompany, NV Hadji Kalla, to Jusuf, his eldest son. He accepted
\nthis responsibility, even though the company was then embroiled
\nin a crisis.<\/p>\n
Assisted by one employee and armed with what he had learned in
\nthe school of economics as well as his experience as chairman of
\nthe students' senate in the school of economics and as the head
\nof the Makassar chapter of the Association of Islamic Students
\n(HMI), Jusuf eventually not only revived but also developed the
\nfamily business, an export-import and transportation company.<\/p>\n
His first step in developing the family business was to forge
\ncooperation with Toyota.<\/p>\n
Jusuf's earnestness in managing and expanding his family
\nbusiness led to the company's peak of glory. Under his
\nleadership, NV Hadji Kalla now controls 10 subsidiaries in the
\nautomotive, transportation and construction businesses in
\nIndonesia's eastern regions.<\/p>\n
Jusuf Kalla's excellent managerial ability is attributable to
\nhis activities in HMI and also in the Joint Youth Secretariat of
\nthe Golkar Party in South Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
Between 1965 and 1968, he was even named chairman of the
\norganization and represented it in the South Sulawesi Legislative
\nAssembly, a period that marked his political debut in Golkar.<\/p>\n
A decade later, Jusuf was appointed member of the council of
\nadvisors of the Regional Executive Board of Golkar's South
\nSulawesi chapter, a position he held until 1999.<\/p>\n
He was later appointed member of the council of advisors of
\nthe Central Executive Board of Golkar Party. He became more
\npolitically savvy after his stint as a member of the People's
\nConsultative Assembly (MPR) for four consecutive five-year terms
\n(1982 to 1987, 1987 to 1992, 1992 to 1997 and 1997 to 1999).<\/p>\n
His involvement in various social, educational, religious and
\nsports activities have enriched his life experience. Aside from
\nhandling his family business, Jusuf has also set up an
\neducational foundation named after his mother, Athirah.<\/p>\n
He is chairman of a number university foundations and chairman
\nof the Islamic Center Foundation of Al Markaz Al Islami mosque in
\nMakassar. He also serves as mustasyar (adviser) of Nahdlatul
\nUlama (NU) South Sulawesi chapter. In the field of sports, he was
\nonce chairman of the Makassar Soccer Association and Makassar
\nUtama Soccer Club.<\/p>\n
It is these varied activities that have made Jusuf, a father
\nof five children, not only a successful businessman but also a
\nnationalist devoted to charity work.<\/p>\n
That is why Jusuf did not hesitate to accept an offer to join
\nthe government bureaucracy as the minister of industry and trade
\nwhen Abdurrahman \"Gus Dur\" Wahid (1999 to 2000) was president, a
\nposition from which he was later dismissed, reportedly due to
\ninvolvement in corruption, an allegation that is yet to be proven
\nto date.<\/p>\n
When Megawati Soekarnoputri replaced Gus Dur as president,
\nJusuf was appointed coordinating minister for people's welfare.
\nIt was then that he gained prominence, because shortly after this
\nappointment he took on an initiative to organize a peace treaty
\nbetween two conflicting groups of people in Poso, Central
\nSulawesi and in Ambon, Maluku.<\/p>\n
Under his guidance, the Malino I negotiation was held in 2001
\nto solve the conflict in Poso, followed later by Malino II in
\nearly 2002 to establish peace in Ambon, Maluku.<\/p>\n
Jusuf was convinced then that to stop the ethnic and religious
\nconflicts in the two regions, the root of the conflicts had to be
\nidentified first before a solution was jointly sought.<\/p>\n
That is why the conflicting groups had to be brought together
\nso that they could jointly work out a solution.<\/p>\n
\"Only those who are involved in the conflict can settle their
\nconflict. If they agree to stop it, we are sure, the conflict
\nwill stop,\" he said, then.<\/p>\n
Long before he became a minister, Jusuf was known as a peace-
\nloving and charitable figure. In his university days, for
\nexample, he allowed part of his house to be used as a venue for
\ngatherings of his colleagues from the HMI.<\/p>\n
After the sectarian conflict that broke out in Makassar in
\n1997, Jusuf initiated an interreligious meeting and set up an
\ninterreligious forum to prevent such conflicts from recurring.<\/p>\n
The river of life that Jusuf sailed along continued to flow
\nwith much stronger currents, which saw him taking part in the
\norganization of Golkar's presidential convention. It was at this
\nconvention that his capability was proven.<\/p>\n
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the presidential candidate from the
\nDemocrat Party, saw this potential and asked him to be his
\nrunning mate in the presidential race and Jusuf seized the
\nopportunity. Has the river found its estuary or will it continue
\nto flow?<\/p>\n
Jusuf says he has no way of knowing. What he does know is that
\nhe strongly hopes to be able to bring about improvements for his
\ncountrymen. \"I have only a single wish; that is, to give
\nIndonesians a better life,\" he stressed.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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