President Prabowo Secretly Visits Bengkulu To Pick Up Agung Surahman: Former Bank Employee Who Is Now The President's Right Hand

Agung Surahman, together with President Prabowo Subianto (right) (photo: ig Agung_surahman)

JAKARTA President Prabowo Subianto's secret visit to Bengkulu on Sunday 6 April to pick up his personal assistant, Agung Surahman, suddenly became the public spotlight. This visit, which was originally private, was revealed directly by the Governor of Bengkulu, Helmi Hasan, who said that the President of the Republic of Indonesia took the time to transit in Bengkulu before continuing his trip to Malaysia.

The Presidential Aircraft RI-1 landed at Fatmawati Soekarno Airport, Bengkulu, to pick up Agung, who had left behind the group to Malaysia because the tickets from Jakarta were full. Agung had time to return to Bengkulu to meet his family and because the ticket from Jakarta to Malaysia was full, the president finally came to pick him up immediately," Helmi said, quoted by VOI from Antara.

Helmi Hasan also revealed that Agung is the son of the Bengkulu area who is now trusted to be President Prabowo's personal assistant and aide. "We are grateful, there is a young man from Bengkulu who is trusted and loved by the president," he said.

Who really is Agung Surahman?

Agung is not a foreign name in Prabowo's inner circle. He is known as Prabowo Subianto's personal secretary, and interestingly, his journey to this position was not something he had planned from the start. Before being active in politics, Agung had tried various professions, ranging from local bank employees in Sumatra, admins of agricultural companies in Bengkulu, to opening some of his own businesses in 2017.

"In 2018 I saw political trends in Indonesia start to rise. I think it's time to think broadly and care about helping the people," said Agung, who is also a cadre of the Gerindra Party.

After receiving the blessing of his mother, Agung decided to take part in the training of Gerindra Party cadres for three months. This is where he first met Prabowo Subianto who at that time was a training officer. At the end of the training session, Prabowo gave his final test and IQ test to 525 participants. Agung achieved the highest score and was included in the top 10 selected to work at the Gerindra Party headquarters in South Jakarta.

"I was given a direct award by Mr. Prabowo," he recalled.

Since 2019, Agung has started to actively accompany Prabowo, including in the 2019 presidential election contestation. Even though Prabowo lost at that time, he admitted that he learned a lot from the political process and national unity that was built when Prabowo finally joined President Joko Widodo's government as Minister of Defense.

"I learned a lot about how their struggle to unite Indonesia. At the same time, supporters were disappointed," said Agung.

In 2020, a unique moment occurred during the Gerindra Party National Meeting. In front of the participants, Prabowo spontaneously asked if Agung was suitable to be his personal secretary. He even asked Agung to stand beside him, measured his height, then asked the party leaders. After receiving the answer "matched", Agung officially served as Prabowo Subianto's personal secretary.

Kini, Agung dikenal sebagai sosok yang siap mendamping Prabowo di setiap mobilitasnya, baik sebagai Presiden RI maupun sebagai Ketua Umum Partai Gerindra. Meski sudah berada di puncak kariernya, Agung tetap rendah hati dan menyampaikan pesan khusus bagi generasi muda.

"For the younger generation, keep trying and never give up. Rest assured we can definitely achieve the ideals we dream of," he said.

Governor Helmi Hasan also hopes that the trust given by Prabowo to Agung can be a bridge for the aspirations of the Bengkulu people to the central government. Some of the messages that Helmi entrusted to Agung to convey to the president include accelerating the construction of toll roads, revitalizing the port of Baai Island, and procuring sub-districts at Fatmawati Soekarno Airport.

Although the visit took place briefly and without a big ceremony, the story behind it became a portrait of the close relationship, loyalty, and opportunities that could be achieved by anyone, even from remote areas, as long as there is determination and hard work