Syahrial Oesman (born 25 May 1955) is an Indonesian politician currently of the

Nasdem Party ) , political_position = Centre to centre-left , national = Onward Indonesia Coalition , international = Progressive AllianceNetwork of Social Democracy in Asia (SOCDEM) , website www.nasdem.id, BallNo = 5 , ...

who served as the governor of

South Sumatra South Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Selatan) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southeast of the island of Sumatra, The province spans and had a population of 8,467,432 at the 2020 Census. The capital of the province is Palembang. The pro ...

between 2003 and 2008 and previously as regent of

Ogan Komering Ulu Regency Ogan Komering Ulu Regency is a Regencies of Indonesia, regency of South Sumatra, Indonesia. It formerly covered an area of 10,408 km2 with a population of around 1,000,000 people; however by 2010 parts of this area had been split off to form s ...

between 2000 and 2003. After his gubernatorial term ended, he was convicted of bribery and was imprisoned for three years.

Early life and education

Oesman was born on 25 May 1955. His father left the family when Oesman was a child, and he was raised by his mother Zaleha Oesman. Oesman later enrolled at

Sriwijaya University Sriwijaya University ( id, Universitas Sriwijaya; abbreviated as UNSRI) is a research, teaching and learning center which has contributed significantly in the development and advancement of sciences, technologies, arts and cultures. Being one of ...

, studying engineering.

Career

After his graduation, Oesman began to work as a civil servant. He began to participate in politics following the

fall of Suharto Suharto resigned as President of Indonesia on 21 May 1998 following the collapse of support for his 32-year long presidency. Vice President B. J. Habibie took over the presidency. Suharto's grip on power weakened following severe economic and ...

, defeating

Herman Deru Herman Deru (born 17 November 1967) is an Indonesian politician who is the governor of South Sumatra and formerly Regent of East Ogan Komering Ulu. Born in the town of Belitang, he worked as a civil servant for 11 years before entering politics, ...

by just one vote at the local legislature's vote and becoming elected as regent of

in 1999. Prior to the expiration of his term there, he ran as governor of

in 2003, again defeating the incumbent Rosihan Arsyad, again with a single vote's margin. He was a member of

Golkar ) , foundation = , youth = AMPG (Golkar Party Young Force) , women = KPPG (Golkar Party Women's Corps) , newspaper = '' Suara Karya'' (1971–2016) , headquarters = Jakarta , ideology ...

until 2004, when he moved to

PDI-P The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle ( id, Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan, PDI-P) is an Indonesian political party, and the party of the current President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo. The PDI-P was founded and is currently led by Me ...

. As governor, Oesman promoted investment in the energy sector, attracting investors to the province. He was the first governor to establish direct transfers from the regional budget to villages, and he also lobbied the national government to develop the

Port of Tanjung Api-Api The Port of Tanjung Api-Api is a seaport in Banyuasin Regency, South Sumatra, Indonesia. Completed in 2007, it began passenger ferry operations to Muntok in 2013, and cargo operations in 2019. History Historically, the city of Palembang served as ...

, designed as an international seaport. However, he was defeated by

Alex Noerdin Alex Noerdin (born 9 September 1950) is a former Governor of South Sumatra between 2008 and 2018. He was born in Palembang, South Sumatra on 9 September 1950. He served as regent in Banyuasin for 2 consecutive terms (2001–2006 and 2007–201 ...

in the 2008 gubernatorial election. He had resigned early from his gubernatorial post, on 19 June 2008, for this reelection bid. In 2009, he was convicted of bribery related to land acquisition for Tanjung Api-Api's development, and was sentenced to one year's imprisonment by Jakarta's Corruption Court. Upon appeal to the

Supreme Court of Indonesia The Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Mahkamah Agung Republik Indonesia) is the independent judicial arm of the state. It maintains a system of courts and sits above the other courts and is the final court of appeal. It can also ...

, Syahrial's sentence was increased to three years. Following his release, Oesman became a member of the

and became its provincial chairman in South Sumatra. He declared his intent to run again for the position of governor in the 2018 gubernatorial election, but withdrew his bid in favor of Herman Deru.

References

{{reflist 1955 births Nasdem Party politicians Governors of South Sumatra Indonesian politicians convicted of corruption Regents of places in South Sumatra Living people Sriwijaya University alumni