[b]Minister of National Development Planning/Chairperson of the

Minister of National Development Planning/Chairperson of the National Planning Agency (Bappenas) Sri Mulyani Indrawati

Born in Tanjungkarang, Lampung, on Aug. 26, 1962, Mulyani received her doctorate in economics from the University of Illinois. She is an executive director of the International Monetary Fund representing 12 economies in Southeast Asia. In 2001, Mulyani left for Atlanta, United States, to serve as a consultant with the U.S. Aid Agency USAID for programs to strengthen Indonesia's autonomy. She lectured on the Indonesian economy at Georgia University. A prominent economist, Mulyani was appointed a member of the National Economic Council during Abdurrahman Wahid's administration.

Minister of Agriculture Anton Apriyanto

Born on Oct. 5, 1959 in Serang, Banten, Anton obtained his bachelors and masters degree from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB). He later received his doctorate in food chemistry at Reading University in Britain. He is currently a full-time lecturer of food and nutrient technology at IPB, and a guest lecturer with the National University of Singapore. Anton claimed he did not know President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono personally or professionally, although the latter recently obtained his doctorate from IPB.

State Minister of State Enterprises Sugiharto:

Born in Medan, North Sumatra, on April 20, 1955, Sugiharto completed his bachelors degree in economics at the University of Indonesia in 1986, and later received his masters from the Amsterdam School of Management. Sugiharto is also a member of the United Development Party (PPP). As chief financial officer at publicly listed PT Medco Energy International, he is known to have been behind the company's success and growth during the past few years. Sugiarto spent nine years as a banker in the Chemical Bank and Bankers Trust Company in New York before joining the Medco Group.

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro:

Born on June 16, 1951 in Semarang, Central Java, Purnomo completed his undergraduate studies at the School of Engineering at the Bandung Institute of Technology. He then pursued his masters in 1986 and doctorate in 1988 in mineral and natural resources at the Colorado School of Mines, the United States. Purnomo was deputy governor of the National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas) before former president Megawati Soekarnoputri appointed him as the energy and mineral resources minister. A father of three, he was advisor to the energy minister from 1993 to 1998, and a founder of the Indonesian Institute for Energy Economics. Currently, he is also serving as president of the Vienna-based Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Minister of Finance Jusuf Anwar

Born in Tasikmalaya, West Java, on Jan. 2, 1941, Jusuf completed his masters degree in economics in 1978 at Vanderbilt University, the United States. He later served as the Capital Market Supervisory Agency chief in 1998. Two years later, Jusuf was assigned as an executive director of the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB). Earlier in the 1990s, Jusuf was appointed director of budget and foreign funds and secretary-general at the Ministry of Finance. In addition to his expertise in financial matters, he is also a legal expert and was active in the Ministry of Justice.

Coordinating Minister for the Economy Aburizal Bakrie

Born in Jakarta on Nov. 15, 1946, Bakrie holds a degree in electrical engineering from the Bandung Institute of Technology. He was elected president of the ASEAN Business Forum for two consecutive periods from 1991 to 1995. Bakrie gained prominence within the business community when he was elected chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) for two consecutive terms from 1994 to 2004. Currently, he is an advisor of Kadin. Aburizal is a noted businessman known for making PT Bakrie and Brothers into one of the most successful firms in the country. He also founded the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Organization in 1972.

Minister of Forestry Malam Sambat Kaban

Born in North Sumatra on Aug. 5, 1958, Kaban gained a masters degree at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture in 1990. He later became secretary-general of the Islamic-oriented Crescent Star Party (PBB). Kaban regularly lectures in several universities in Jakarta and Bogor. However, he has no specific educational background in forestry. Kaban was active in a number of Islamic organizations before joining PBB, which only gained two seats in the House of Representatives in the April 4, 2004 legislative elections.

Minister of Industry Andung Nitimiharja

Andung has been an expert staff of the investment and regional autonomy department with the Office of State Minister of State Enterprises since 2003. Born on April 4, 1950, he was also deputy chairman of the national business development department at the Capital Investment Coordinating Body during the chairmanship of Theo F. Toemion from 2000 to 2001. A graduate of engineering from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture, Andung later took his masters in economic and social development at the University of Pittsburgh, and pursued a doctorate in development studies at the same university. He is now a commissioner of state electricity company PT PLN, PT Rajawali Nusantara Indonesia and PT Asuransi Jasa Raharja.

State Minister of Communication and Information Sofyan A. Djalil

Born on Sept. 23, 1953 in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, Sofyan obtained his doctorate in law and diplomacy at Tufts University Medford in Massachusetts in 1993. He has held various positions in the academe and was an expert staff at the Ministry of Justice. In 1998, he became an expert staff at the Office of State Minister of State Enterprises until 2000. Sofyan was a commissioner with several enterprises, including PT Pelindo III and PT PLN. Currently, he is also a managing partner at Sofyan Djalil and Partners.

Minister of Public Works Djoko Kirmanto

Born on July 5, 1943 in Penging, Central Java, Djoko graduated from Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta and completed his masters in land and water development at IHE-DELFT in the Netherlands in 1977. He was appointed in 1997 as assistant to the residential development department head at the Ministry of Public Works during the Soeharto administration. Since 2001, he has held the post of director general of residential affairs at the Ministry of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure.