Rizal Mallarangeng

Andi Rizal Mallarangeng (born October 29, 1964) is an Indonesian politician, political analyst, and author. He has served as a Commissioner of PT Telkom Indonesia since 2020, PT Energi Mega Persada since 2021, and PT Citra Marga Nusaphala Persada Tbk from 2024 to 2025. During the 2019 Indonesian presidential election, he played a critical role supporting the presidential campaign of Joko Widodo.

Earlier in his career, Rizal served as a special staff member to Aburizal Bakrie. He was also a member of the Central Executive Board (DPP) of the Golkar Party during the leadership of both Aburizal Bakrie and Airlangga Hartarto.

Born in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Rizal initially attended SMAN Ragunan, a sports-focused senior high school in Jakarta. After graduating, he enrolled at Gadjah Mada University, where he studied Political Science. He later received the restigious Fulbright Scholarship to pursue both his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Political Science at the Ohio State University.

Upon completing his doctoral studies, Rizal returned to Indonesia and began his professional career as a political researcher, a speechwriter for President Megawati Soekarnoputri, and a television talk show host on Metro TV. He attracted national attention when he declared his intention to run for President in the 2009 Indonesian presidential election, although his public support at the time remained limited.

He subsequently joined the Golkar Party and was appointed Chairman for Policy Studies and Strategic Thinking under the leadership of Aburizal Bakrie. During the leadership of Airlangga Hartarto, Indonesia’s current Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, he served as Acting Chairman of the Jakarta Provincial Golkar Executive Board and as Coordinator for Special Mobilization Affairs within the party.

Throughout his career, Rizal has authored numerous books and essays on politics and economics. He is also the founder of the Freedom Institute, an independent think tank. Politically, he is known for as an advocate for democratic rights and supporting market-oriented, right-of-centre economic policies.