Abdillah (Indonesian politician)

Abdillah (born 19 May 1955) is an Indonesian politician who served as the mayor of Medan, North Sumatra between 2000 and 2008. His second term was cut short when he was arrested and imprisoned in a corruption case.

Abdillah
Abdillah in 2005
Mayor of Medan
In office 18 April 2000 – 2008
Preceded by	Bachtiar Djafar
Succeeded by	Afifuddin Lubis (act.) Rahudman Harahap
Personal details
Born	(1955-05-19) 19 May 1955 (age 67) Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia

Biography

Abdillah was born in Medan on 19 May 1955.^[1] He was a businessman active in the construction industry, and was also part of the construction industry association (GAPENSI) in North Sumatra.^[2]

In March 2000, Abdillah ran for mayor of Medan, supported by a coalition of parties led by Golkar. He also managed to secure the support of a number of PDI-P councillors in the city legislature despite running against PDI-P backed candidate Ridwan Batubara.^[2] He was sworn in on 18 April 2000 in an "abrupt and secretive" ceremony,^[2][3] due to the controversy surrounding accusations of bribery to councillors to vote for him. The city hall at the time of the ceremony was guarded by three platoons of riot police and several hundred paramilitary and private security guards.^[2][3]

During his mayoralship, Abdillah was known for attracting investors to develop large shopping centers and luxury hotels, while establishing lighting-based art projects.^[1][4] He was awarded the nobility title of Datuk by the local Malay community in January 2005, and secured reelection in 2005 against his former deputy Maulana Pohan.^[4]

In January 2008, Abdillah along with his deputy Ramli were arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission^[5] under charges of using municipal funds for personal use, and for graft related to the purchase of some firetrucks. On 22 September 2008, Abdillah was sentenced to five years in prison by the Jakarta Corruption Court.^[6] Following an appeal to the Supreme Court of Indonesia, his sentence was reduced to four years in 2009.^[7] He was released from prison after two-thirds of his sentence due to good behavior in 2010.^[8]

He ran as a senatorial candidate in the 2019 Indonesian legislative election,^[9] and later joined the ultimately successful mayoral campaign of Bobby Nasution in Medan's 2020 election.^[10] He initially registered to run as a senatorial candidate for 2024, but withdrew his candidacy in 2023.^[11]

Family

He is married to Nanan Farach Duna Abdillah.^[12] One of his children, Afif Abdillah, was elected city councillor for Medan in 2019.^[13]

References

1. "Tokoh Penggerak Investasi". Waspada (in Indonesian). 16 December 2010. p. B12. from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
2. Hadiz, Vedi (2010). Localising Power in Post-Authoritarian Indonesia: A Southeast Asia Perspective. Stanford University Press. pp. 123–124. ISBN 978-0-8047-7352-2. from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
3. "Dilantik dalam Suasana Perang". Tempo (in Indonesian). 30 April 2000. from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023. 'Selasa pekan lalu' - Tuesday last week, relative to Sunday, 30 April 2000.
4. Hadiz 2010, pp. 126–127.
5. "KPK Tangkap Wakil Wali Kota Medan". Okezone (in Indonesian). 3 January 2008. from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
6. "Walikota Medan Divonis 5 tahun Penjara". KOMPAS.com (in Indonesian). 22 September 2008. from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
7. "Wali Kota Medan Nonaktif Divonis 4 Tahun Penjara". Republika (in Indonesian). 16 July 2009. from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
8. "Kepulangan Mantan Walikota Medan Abdillah Disambut Ribuan Warga". detiknews (in Indonesian). 2 June 2010. from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
9. "Mantan Wali Kota Medan Abdillah maju jadi calon anggota DPD RI". Antara News (in Indonesian). 7 January 2019. from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
10. Arfah, Ahmad (21 September 2020). "Eks Walkot Medan Abdillah Juga Masuk Timses Bobby". detiknews (in Indonesian). from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
11. "Mantan Wali Kota Medan Abdillah Mundur dari Pencalonan DPD RI". Seputar Sumut (in Indonesian). 28 March 2023. from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
12. "Abdillah Walikota Medan Bersikeras Tidak Pernah Korupsi". Antara News (in Indonesian). 10 September 2008. from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
13. "Anak Eldin dan Abdillah Resmi Jadi Anggota DPRD Medan". mediasumutku.com (in Indonesian). 16 September 2019. from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.