However, he is better known as the chairperson of Projo (Pro-Jokowi), the largest volunteer organization that supported President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) when he ran in the 2014 and 2019 presidential elections.
President Widodo considers his volunteers to have an important role in providing course corrections and evaluations for every step that he takes.
Setiadi is known to be close to or a friend of Widodo, and the two have often discussed the national political situation.
He was one of the figures behind the holding of the People's Deliberation in May 2023, which was Widodo's moment to deliver his political speech related to the 2024 election.
Entering the last 16 months of the Widodo-Ma'ruf Amin administration, Setiadi has been entrusted with carrying out the duty of formulating and implementing policies in the field of communication and information.
He has replaced Johnny G. Plate who was involved in alleged corruption in the procurement of base transceiver system (BTS) towers.
Related news: Budi Arie Setiadi officially accepts position as new minister
Setiadi was inaugurated by the President as the Minister of Communication and Information at the State Palace, Jakarta, on Monday (July 17, 2023) morning, based on Presidential Decree No. 62 B of 2023.
Deputy Minister of Communication and Information, Nezar Patria, was also inaugurated the same day.
"In the name of God, I vow that I will be loyal to the 1945 Constitution and will carry out all rules and regulations as right as possible, for the sake of my devotion to the nation and country," Setiadi said while taking the oath of office, as directed by President Widodo.
"In carrying out my duties and position, I will uphold ethics highly, and work as well as possible with full responsibility," he added.
Shortly before the inauguration, he said Widodo's trust was a matter of pride for him, especially for the volunteer group.
Representing the group of volunteers, he promised not to take the President's trust for granted.
He said he vowed to improve his performance during his duty and carry out Widodo's vision and mission.
Related news: Committed to developing national talents for advanced Indonesia
Looking at Setiadi's track record, it can be said that he is familiar with the field of communication and information.
Born on April 20, 1969, he once served as the managing editor of the University of Indonesia's (UI's) student press called Suma. He also founded the Bergerak Bulletin during the 1998 reformation era.
The bulletin was published one day after the UI student demonstration on March 9, 1998. It served to provide information on the developments of the student demonstration.
At that time, the bulletin was published daily, except on Saturdays and Sundays. The media oversaw the nation's path to the reformation era, including the collapse of President Soeharto's 32-year presidency on May 21, 1998.
The bulletin continued to be published until 2002.
Before the Bergerak bulletin, Setiadi worked as a journalist for Kontan from 1996 to 2001 and for Media Indonesia from 1994 to 1996.
In addition to being a part of the student press, Setiadi, who obtained a bachelor's degree from UI's Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP), was involved in other campus organizational activities.
He was president of the UI Student Study Forum in 1992–1993, president of the Student Representative Body (BPM) of FISIP UI in 1994–1995, and the presidium of the UI Student Senate the same year.
After graduating from UI, his involvement in the organizational world did not stop. He founded the scholars' movement Gerakan Sarjana Jakarta (GSJ) and the Indonesian Professional Society (MPI) in 1998–2000.
He also served as a director in some telecommunication companies. He then joined politics by becoming the head of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Research and Development Agency (Balitbang) in Jakarta and PDI-P Jakarta's Regional Leadership Council (DPD) in 2005–2010.
In 2006, he continued his postgraduate studies in development management at UI.
After becoming one of the top officials of Jakarta PDI-P, he founded the volunteer organization Projo in August 2013.
The organization was considered one of the reasons behind Widodo's victory in the 2014 presidential election.
Projo also showed its loyalty to Widodo during the 2019 presidential election. With his success as the chair of Projo, Setiadi's name became more popular on the national political stage.
Related news: Committed to developing national talents for advanced Indonesia
In October 2019, Widodo appointed him as the deputy minister of villages, development of disadvantaged regions, and transmigration.
Setiadi will face tough challenges as the Minister of Communication and Information.
He will be responsible for formulating a range of policies in the field of communication and information, which will include post, telecommunications, broadcasting, information and communication technology, multimedia services, and information dissemination.
He will also face challenges in cyberspace, especially ahead of the 2024 General Election, which will take place simultaneously.
The government said that cyberspace needs to be supervised more as it has the potential to become a platform where polarization campaigns emerge.
Setiadi will need to face and resolve these challenges before the Widodo-Amin administration ends in October 2024.
He has emphasized that he will only strive to implement Widodo's vision and mission during the remainder of the Onward Indonesia Cabinet's term.
Translator: Indra P, Kenzu
Editor: Tia Mutiasari
Copyright © ANTARA 2023
