Turmoil in the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce: 5 things to know

Analysts see takeover as aligning group with President-elect Prabowo

20240919 Arsjad Rasjid and Anindya Bakrie

Arsjad Rasjid, left, has been ousted as chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and replaced by Anindya Bakrie, right. Rasjid and his supporters, who are fighting the takeover, have been barred from the organization's Jakarta headquarters, background. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)

ISMI DAMAYANTI, Nikkei staff writer

September 19, 2024 10:52 JST

JAKARTA -- The unrest at the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) just a month before President-elect Prabowo Subianto takes office highlights the crucial role the country's most prominent business lobby group plays in both the political and economic arenas.

Saturday's "emergency" congress, at which Anindya Bakrie was sworn in as chairman, was not recognized by the incumbent chairman, Arsjad Rasjid, and his supporters, leaving the association seemingly irreconcilably divided at a crucial time for Southeast Asia's largest economy.