Dasco, A Symbol Of Hope For Political Change In Indonesia

Prof.Dr.Ir. H. Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, SH, MH,

JAKARTA - Prof. Dr. Ir. H. Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, SH, MH, is a senior Gerindra Party politician. Known as Dasco's nickname, he was born in Bandung on October 7, 1967.

Dasco started his education at SD Negeri 6 Palembang from 1973 to 1979. He continued his education at SMP 43 Jakarta and SMA Negeri II Manado.

Dasco, who initially pursued engineering at a university, earned a bachelor's degree in Electric Engineering from Pancasila University in 1993. However, his interest later turned to law and completed his second bachelor's degree in Law at the University of Jakarta in 2009.

Not stopping at the undergraduate level, Dasco continued his education until he earned a law master's degree from the Islamic University of Jakarta in 2012. The peak of his academic journey was his doctorate in Law from the Islamic University of Bandung in 2015.

In addition to his academic achievements, Dasco has also held various academic positions: since 2020 he has served as Chancellor of the National University; 2016 to 2018 he has been a Lecturer of Law at Azzahra University; and since 2021 he has been a Lecturer of Law at Pakuan University and was appointed Professor of Law in 2022. For more than 10 years, he has taught at various universities and made a significant contribution to legal education.

Dasco's political career began from the bottom, starting when the Gerindra Party was founded. Since 2008, he has served as a member of the Gerindra Party's Central Leadership Council (DPP).

From 2008 to 2014, Dasco served as Chair of the Gerindra DPP Organization and Membership Division. In 2014, he obtained his first seat in the DPR as a member of the DPR RI representing the Banten III electoral district with 56,323 votes.

During his first term as a legislator, Dasco served in Commission III in charge of law, security, and human rights. He was also appointed Deputy Chairman of the Honorary Court of the Council (MKD) for the 2014 '2019 period.

After debuting in the legislature, Dasco was re-elected for the 2019 '2024 period, representing the same electoral district. The vote acquisition increased significantly to 99,002 votes.

For his brilliant performance, Gerindra gave Dasco the mandate to occupy the position of Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives in 2019, replacing Fadli Zon.

As Deputy Speaker of the DPR, he carries out the task of coordinating economic and financial clusters, including Commission XI, the Budget Agency, and the State Financial Accountability Agency of the DPR RI.

Throughout his tenure, Dasco's electoral achievements continued to climb. In the 2024 election, he again obtained seats in the Indonesian House of Representatives for the third time with 119,692 votes.

After being inaugurated for the 2024-2029 legislative period on October 1, 2024, Dasco was again inaugurated by Gerindra to occupy the position of deputy party in the leadership of the DPR.

For the 20242029 term, Dasco is tasked with overseeing political and security clusters which include Commission I, Commission II, Commission III, the Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Agency, and the Legislation Body. As the legislative leader in politics and security, Dasco emphasized three main agendas: first, improving the performance of the DPR RI through inter-party collaboration; second, maintaining political stability during the transitional period of government; and third, responding to public aspirations immediately.

Dasco's advantage increased after the victory of the General Chairperson of Gerindra, Prabowo Subianto, in the 2024 presidential election. Dasco is often considered Prabowo's right-hand man.

Dasco held a crucial role during the transitional government from President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to Prabowo, by serving as Chairman of the Prabowo-Gibran Synchronization Task Force. He is often involved in strategic decisions of parties and government.

One of Dasco's most important moments occurred in August 2024 when he was assigned by President Prabowo to cancel the proposed revision of the Regional Head Election Law (UU Pilkada), amid widespread public protests.

Another important task is to deal with the controversy over plans to remove small-scale 3 kg LPG gas retailers by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM). Dasco was directly summoned by President Prabowo to the Presidential Palace and instructed to announce the cancellation of subsidies cuts.

In addition to domestic affairs, Dasco also contributed significantly to Indonesia's bilateral relations with partner countries.

For example, on February 7, 2025, Dasco, as Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, directly received Russian Ambassador Sergey Gennadierich Tolchenov to discuss bilateral relations. The two parties are exploring cooperation in various sectors, including education, trade, energy, food security, and parliamentary relations.

As a form of recognition for his extraordinary services, Dasco was awarded the Mahaputera Adipradana Star, one of the highest civilian awards in Indonesia.