Agung Laksono

Agung Laksono (born March 23, 1949) is an Indonesian politician, who has served on the Indonesian Presidential Advisory Council since 2019. He is a former Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare in the Second United Indonesia Cabinet and an executive of Golkar Party.[1] Previously, he was the Speaker of Indonesia People's Representative Council (DPR) from 2004 to 2009. In December 2004, during the Golkar convention, he was also elected as vice-chairman of the party.

Agung Laksono
Member of Presidential Advisory Council of the Republic of Indonesia
Assumed office
December 13, 2019
Serving with
PresidentJoko Widodo
Coordinating Minister of People's Welfare
In office
20 October 2009 – 20 October 2014
PresidentSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Preceded byAburizal Bakrie
Succeeded byPuan Maharani
14th Speaker of the People's Representative Council
In office
2004–2009
PresidentSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Preceded byAkbar Tanjung
Succeeded byMarzuki Alie
Personal details
Born (1949-03-23) 23 March 1949
Semarang, Central Java
NationalityIndonesian
Political partyGolongan Karya
Alma materChristian University of Indonesia (dr.)

Laksono is a supporter of Iran's nuclear program.[2] He was a co-founder of Adam Air, a now defunct commercial airline, which was heavily embroiled in corruption as well as various safety violations. [3] Adam Air was closed down after a series of accidents.[4][5]

He holds a degree from the Christian University of Indonesia School of Medicine.[1]

Controversy

Laksono is known for critical remarks toward Singapore in response to the island republic's diplomatic calls to the Indonesian government to curb acrid trans-boundary haze that shroud large areas of Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore annually as a result of extensive "slash and burn" cultivation in Sumatra, Kalimantan and other Indonesian territories. His remarks were viewed as without sound justification, aimed at rousing nationalistic sentiments without constructively resolving the issue at hand.

In the 2013 Southeast Asian haze, PSI levels across many parts of Johor, Malacca, Selangor and Singapore reached hazardous levels[6][7] as the number of hotspots in neighbouring Riau province, Sumatra, climbed to 148.[8] Laksono lambasted Singaporeans for "behaving like a child" when the city-state stepped up pressure on the Indonesian government to take definitive action to extinguish the Sumatran forest fires and bring those responsible to justice through stricter enforcement of laws against indiscriminate burning.[9] When a Singaporean official offered assistance to tackle the recurrent haze problem at an emergency meeting held in Jakarta, Laksono responded, "If it is only half a million, or one million dollars, we don't need that. We would rather use our own national budget."[10]

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong mentioned in a press conference that "It’s not fruitful to respond to such comments. It would be in the best interests of both countries to work on the problem together rather than exchanging harsh words." Lee also repeated an offer to help Indonesia.

Laksono also told reporters that "Indonesian citizens also need to be looked after" before tending to other countries' interests, even though the world's largest archipelago is observed to be the primary source of the annual regional smog. While playing the victim card, he squarely fended off the blame to foreign-owned companies and elements beyond his nation's control. He argued that it was "not what Indonesians want, it's nature", despite the fact that it is crystal-clear even in the haze that razing large areas of forested land for commercial plantations are certainly man-made events.

Laksono also reportedly remarked on more than one occasion that Indonesia's neighbours do not appreciate the fresh air that Indonesian forests bring to them, but complained about the haze when it only happens occasionally.

References
  1. "United Indonesia Cabinet 2009-2014". The Jakarta Post. 2009-10-22. p. 3.
  2. Indonesia parliament strongly supports Iran's rights on nuclear energy Archived January 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  3. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2007/01/200852513552984925.html
  4. Bill Guerin (2007-01-24). "Falling skies for Indonesian aviation". Asia Times Online. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  5. Novia D. Rulistia (2008-03-19). "Troubled Adam Air loses operating rights". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  6. Haze along Straits of Malacca worsens
  7. Singapore Haze Pictures Show Country Cloaked In Smog From Indonesia Forest Fires
  8. Only rain can help S'pore now
  9. Indonesian minister says Singapore "behaving like a small child" over haze
Preceded by
Aburizal Bakrie		 Coordinating Minister of People's Welfare
2009–2014		 Succeeded by
Puan Maharani
Preceded by
Akbar Tanjung		 Speaker of People's Representative Council
2004-2009		 Succeeded by
Marzuki Alie
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