Budi Arie Setiadi

Budi Arie Setiadi (born 20 April 1969) is an Indonesian politician who became the Minister of Communication and Informatics on 17 July 2023 until 20 October 2024 and serving as Minister of Cooperatives in the Red and White Cabinet of President Prabowo Subianto on 21 October 2024 until 8 September 2025. Setiadi became a minister after the previous minister, Johnny G. Plate was involved in a corruption case. Setiadi was previously the Deputy Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration and a leading member of President Joko Widodo's campaign team in the 2014 and 2019 campaigns.

Early life and education Early life Budi Arie Setiadi was born in Jakarta on 20 April 1969, the son of Joko Asmoro and Pudji Astuti. He grew up and spent most of his childhood in Jakarta. He began his formal education at the Fons Vitae II Elementary School in North Jakarta and graduated from the same school's junior high school. He then continued his education at Canisius College High School in Central Jakarta in 1988 and graduated in 1990. Upon completing high school, Budi began studying communications at the University of Indonesia.

Education Budi participated in various student organizations, such as student press, sports communities, and student political organizations. He was nicknamed Muni during his time at the university. He served as Chairman of the Student Representative Council (BPM) of UI's Social and Political Sciences Faculty (FISIP) in 1994, as well as a presidium member of UI's student senate from 1994 until 1995. Budi was involved in establishing the UI Student Study Forum (FSM) and was actively involved in the UI Student Defender Group (KPM). In journalistics, Setiadi became the chief editor of UI's student magazine, Suara Mahasiswa, from 1993 until 1994.

Budi continued his postgraduate studies in social development management at UI's Faculty of Economics and Business. He completed his postgraduate studies in 2006. The organization became a major contributor to Joko Widodo's 2014 presidential campaign and was regarded as a key organization that led Joko Widodo to victory in the 2014 Indonesian presidential election. Projo was reactivated for the 2019 Indonesian general election and saw Joko Widodo's victory in the same election.

Cabinet minister Deputy Minister of Villages, Disadvantage Region, and Transmigration Budi Arie Setiadi delivering a speech at the University of Indonesia. Three days after Joko Widodo's inauguration on 20 October 2019, he announced his cabinet lineup. Joko Widodo's new cabinet included his opponent in the election, Prabowo Subianto, as his minister, sparking protest from Projo members. Projo also criticized Wishnutama's appointment as minister despite his lack of support for Joko Widodo in his presidential campaigns. The secretary general of Projo, Handoko, dissolved Projo upon the announcement of the new cabinet, citing "deep disappointment" and a violation of the commitment "against intolerance and the willingness to be involved in politics". Projo later launched the hashtag #budiarieformenteri (Budi Arie For Minister) on Twitter.

Projo's attempt at launching the hashtag was criticized by Alifurrahman S. Asyari, the founder of the pro-Widodo Seword blogging site. In response to the hashtag, Asyari self-defaced its own website and replaced it with the text #AlifforWapres (Alif for Vice President). Joko Widodo then announced his lineup for the deputy ministers and appointed Setiadi as the deputy minister of villages, disadvantaged region, and transmigration. After the announcement, Setiadi cancelled the decision to dissolve Projo. Asyari responded harshly to Setiadi's decision to cancel the dissolution, stating that:

If I were in the position of Projo’s chairman [Setiadi], I would definitely be ashamed. It’s a matter of self-respect. . But it seems like Projo doesn’t have any shame. So the offer was accepted, and Projo canceled the disbandment because they already got the position.

Less than a month after his arrest, Joko Widodo appointed Setiadi as the new communications and information minister in a Cabinet reshuffle ahead of the 2024 general election. The reshuffle was widely seen as a move by the President to install his supporters in the administration before the general election in February.

Personal life Budi Arie Setiadi married Zara Murzandina. The couple has two children.

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