Zulkifli Hasan (born 17 May 1962), or colloquially Zulhas or Bang Zul, is an Indonesian politician and businessman who is currently serving as Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs in President Prabowo Subianto's Red and White Cabinet since 20 October 2024. Previously, he served as Minister of Trade from 2022 to 2024 and deputy speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) from 2019 until 2022. A member of the Islam-based National Mandate Party, he is also currently serving as the party's chairman since 2015. Additionally, he served as speaker of the MPR from 2014 to 2019 and was Minister of Environment and Forestry from 2009 until 2014.
Childhood and education Zulkifli Hasan was born to Hasan and Siti Zaenab, who were farmers in Pisang village in Penengahan, South Lampung. In later life, he would claim to have experienced economic hardship as a child, saying he learned to work hard by selling eggs produced on the farm. He attended a local elementary school from 1969 to 1975. At age 13, his father took him to Tanjungkarang (now called Bandar Lampung) to enroll him in junior high school level at the State Islamic Teachers Training School (PGAN), against the boy's wishes. While attending PGAN, Zulkifli lived in a rented room in lodgings for boarders. He left PGAN in his fourth year at the school. He took an entrance exam for Madrasah Tsanawiah and passed. Without parental consent, he enrolled at Tandjungkarang State Senior High School. After four months, his father discovered he had switched schools and forced him to leave the high school.
Armed with a little money from his mother, Zul moved to Jakarta. There, he attended State Senior High School 53 and graduated in 1982. In 1986, he enrolled at the Faculty of Economics at Krisnadwipayana University (Unkris) in Jakarta and financed his studies independently. In 2003, he graduated from PPM School of Management.
Business career Before becoming a politician, Zulkifli worked as a civil servant and then started his business. His father had advised him not to be a follower but to be a leader, even if that meant starting from something small, so he quit the civil service. His older brother, Herli Hasan, says Zulkifli left the civil service because the salary was low.
Zulkifli's subsequent corporate positions included:
President Director of PT Batin Eka Perkasa (1988–2004), then Commissioner (2004–2005). A Jakarta-based company producing kitchen appliances under the Haneda brand name; now run by Zulkifli's oldest daughter, Futri Zulya Savitri. President Director of PT Panamas Mitra Inti Lestari (1997–2004). A Bogor-based company selling home appliances and non-stick cookware. President Director of PT Sarana Bina Insani, Jakarta (2000–2004). A travel bureau. Commissioner of PT Hudaya Safari Utama, Jakarta (2000–2006). A haj and umroh travel bureau. Commissioner of PT Gudang Garam, Jakarta (2006–2007).
Youth entrepreneurship After starting his political career, he did not abandon his entrepreneurial interests. He became a motivator for young people and the wider community, particularly in Sumatra, to develop entrepreneurship and create new jobs. He encouraged rural youths to help advance Indonesia's future economic growth. In 2012, he supported a program of the National Mandate Party (PAN) that provided venture capital and training for young entrepreneurs in North Sumatra.
Early political career Zulkifli was active in the Muhammadiyah mass Muslim organization, whose members were among the founders of the National Mandate Party (PAN) in 1998. His first political forays included chairing the Regional Board of Farmers and Fishermen of Lampung Province, serving as deputy chairman of Lampung Sai Community Society, and initiating the Lampung Youth Union in Jakarta. He chaired Muhammadiyah's Institute of Agricultural Laborers and Fishermen for Jakarta from 2000 to 2005. He chaired the Logistics Department of PAN's Central Board from 2000 to 2005.
He later became deputy chairman of PAN's faction in the House of Representatives, serving as a member of parliament from 2004 to 2009. He was a member of House Commission VI overseeing transportation and infrastructure. In July 2008, he was elected chairman of a special committee that questioned the government's policy to raise fuel prices.
Zulkifli was secretary general of PAN's Central Board from 2005 to 2010. On 8 October 2011, Zulkifli's oldest daughter Futri Zulya Savitri married PAN founder Amien Rais's third son, Ahmad Mumtaz Rais.
Forestry Minister
After President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was re-elected for a second term in 2009, Zulkifli was appointed forestry minister on 21 October 2009. He said his priorities would be the development of production forests (HTI and HTR), reducing forest fires by 20% annually, combating illegal logging, streamlining of overlapping regulations of the central government and regencies for forest sites, and improving forest industry institutions. He also said he would resist temptations and pressure from businessmen and politicians putting themselves before the public interest. “But temptations are always there everywhere. It’ll pose no problem to us if we just don’t pay attention to them,” he said. Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in 2012 declared the Forestry Ministry to be considered the country's most corrupt institution. To support efforts to eradicate corruption, Zulkifli issued circular No.SE.2 / Menhut-II / 2012 on Gratification Reporting at the Ministry of Forestry. The circular encouraged staff at the ministry to report the gratuities they receive to their superiors to report to first-echelon officials and the KPK. Zulkifli served as forestry minister until 1 October 2014.
Illegal forest operations In 2010, the Forestry Ministry promised to crack down on plantation companies operating without permits in Indonesia. In 2011, the ministry admitted hundreds of mining and plantation companies were operating in Central Kalimantan province without correct permits. Zulkifli said the problem was due to misinterpretations of regional autonomy legislation introduced in 2001. Elfian Effendi of Greenomics Indonesia said it was difficult for the minister to stop the offending companies because they have political links. The Forestry Ministry promised to stop issuing new plantation and mine permits in the province and to cooperate with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to enforce the law.
Moratorium on new forest concessions In January 2011, Zulkifli announced the Forestry Ministry would implement a 2-year moratorium on the issuance of permits for the conversion of primary and peat forests. Conservationists noted that on the eve of the logging moratorium, the ministry issued 2.9 million hectares of new plantation concessions to 44 firms. On 20 May 2011, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed a presidential decree putting the two-year moratorium into effect. The decree covered from 64 million to 72 million hectares of primary forest and peatland.
Allegation of state losses In May 2013, the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra) claimed data from the State Audit Agency (BPK) showed the Forestry Ministry had lost or misappropriated Rp 7.1 trillion ($731 million) in 2012. Zulkifli responded by saying the data and description of “losses” were inaccurate. He said the actual figure was Rp 6.2 trillion in non-tax revenue the ministry has been unable to collect since 2002. “We’re continuing to collect on those payments, both at the regional level and at the central level, and to date we’ve whittled down the outstanding amount to just Rp 2.1 trillion,” he said.
Interview by Harrison Ford On 9 September 2013, Zulkifli was interviewed by Harrison Ford for part of a documentary series on climate change and the environment. Presidential adviser Andi Arief complained Ford had attacked the minister with rude questions. He accused Ford and his crew of “harassing state institutions” and threatened to deport him.
Zulkifli said Ford was emotional because he wanted illegal loggers swiftly arrested at Tesso Nilo National Park in Sumatra. The minister said Ford did not give him sufficient time to explain the difficulties of catching those who violate forestry laws. He lamented they had not rehearsed the interview before filming commenced. Ford was making part of a series on climate change called Years of Living Dangerously for the US television network Showtime.
Hazardous smoke haze During Zulkifli's tenure as forestry minister, forests in Sumatra and Kalimantan were burned to clear land for plantations, causing hazardous haze that reached neighboring Singapore and Malaysia. In 2013, Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, the head of Indonesia's presidential working unit for development supervision and control, said many fires were on land owned by Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) and Asia Pacific Resources International Limited. Zulkifli said there was no strong evidence against the two companies.
In June 2013, Zulkifli blamed the severity of the haze on a five-year weather cycle. "Every five years, the weather becomes extremely dry. The wind is also much stronger and moves in a circular motion. So, when there is burning, fire spreads very quickly... Due to the dry season, it takes time for firefighters to locate the water sources. By the time water is irrigated to the hot spots, the fire would have spread." Responding to allegations that plantation and forestry companies were responsible for the fires, Zulkifli was quoted by Tempo magazine as saying the companies must be defended because they pay taxes. He said 14 people had been arrested on suspicion of starting fires, 11 of them linked to companies and three of them smallholders. "If proven guilty they could be jailed for five years and have their permits revoked," he said.
In March 2014, Zulkifli supported calls by the National Police and Indonesian Military for the shooting of people found burning forests if they resisted arrest. He acknowledged the people responsible for forest fires were seeking to open up new land for palm oil plantations.
In 2015, anti-haze activist Syahrul Fitra accused Zulkifli of allowing corporations to burn forests and causing the haze crisis. He claimed Zulkifli had allegedly permitted the burning of over 1.3 million hectares of forests to be used for plantations. He said law enforcers should arrest any officials responsible for the haze and called for an investigation into possible corruption in the issuance of permits. Zulkifli denied any wrongdoing.
Riau forestry corruption case In August 2014, Zulkifli visited Riau province and encouraged proposals to change the status of forest land owned by locals so it could become part of 1,638,249 hectares allowed by the Forestry Ministry for conversion into non-forest land.
Riau governor Annas Ma'mun's administration responded by sending a proposal to Zulkifli, who gave his approval to some of the areas. Annas later revised the proposal, adding some land owned by palm oil businessman Gulat Manurung, who paid a bribe of S$156,000 and Rp 500 million. Annas later stated Zulkifli had approved and issued the conversion permit.
On 12 November 2014, Zulkifli was questioned as a witness by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in the case against Annas. Zulkifli denied approving the permit. Annas said he had been on his way to meet with Zulkifli when he was arrested by the KPK in a sting operation in September 2014.
Testifying at Annas's corruption trial in April 2015, Zulkifli admitted he had met with the director of PT Duta Palma, Surya Darmadi, to discuss a forest clearing permit. Surya was linked to the case by Gulat, who said he helped PT Duta Palma to meet with Annas to enable the company to convert 18,000 hectares of land. Gulat was in February 2015 sentenced to three years in jail. Annas was in June 2015 sentenced to six years in jail.
Bogor land conversion case