Former Minibus Conductor Now Golkar Chairman, Bahlil Shares Success Recipe with Pesantren Students

SUKABUMI — Bahlil Lahadalia, chairman of Golkar Party and Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, visited Pesantren (Islamic boarding school) Azzainiyyah in Sukabumi, West Java, on Sunday (8 March 2026) to motivate students and share his formula for success.

Bahlil recounted his humble origins, noting that despite coming from a poor family, he has become party chairman and a public official. His mother worked as a domestic helper, whilst his father was a construction labourer. From secondary school onwards, Bahlil worked as a minibus conductor at a terminal and sold cakes to earn income.

He urged students, particularly those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds or orphaned, to remain determined in conquering their future prospects. Bahlil attributed his success to speed, explaining that in the future, “it is not the intelligent who defeat the foolish, nor the rich who defeat the poor, nor the strong who defeat the weak. Rather, it is the swift who will defeat the slow.”

He emphasised the importance of being fast, resilient, and fighting spirit, questioning how he could have become party chairman without speed. Bahlil also highlighted Golkar’s inclusivity, noting that it is the only party whose chairmen have come from regions spanning Sumatra to Papua. He claimed no other political party could make such a claim, describing Golkar as a voice for the aspirations of all Indonesian people from Aceh to Papua.