President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated Saifullah Yusuf as Minister of Social Affairs on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, replacing Tri Rismaharini, who resigned from her post to run in the upcoming East Java gubernatorial election.
“Today, I will also officially step down as Mayor of Pasuruan, as expected,” Saifullah, also known as Gus Ipul, told reporters after the inauguration ceremony at the Presidential Palace.
He said that he was notified of his appointment to the ministry two days before, expressing that the position is a significant responsibility.
Saifullah began his political career in 1999, initially running for a seat in the House of Representatives as a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
However, he later left the party and joined the National Awakening Party (PKB) in 2001, where he became Secretary-General in 2002.
Before jumping into politics, Saifullah was an active student leader at the School of Social and Political Sciences, the National University, Jakarta, serving as Senate President from 1988 to 1990.
He laterchaired the Nahdlatul Ulama Students Association (IPNU) from 1990 to 1995 and was involved with the Ansor Youth Movement (GP Ansor).
From 2000 to 2005, he served as Minister for the Acceleration of Development in Underdeveloped Regions in President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s cabinet. He was also chairman of GP Ansor for two consecutive terms from 2000 to 2010.
A former Vice Governor of East Java for two terms, Saifullah most recently served as Mayor of Pasuruan and is the Secretary-General of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Muslim organization in its current administration.
