Since 1992, he has been appointed a member of
MPR-RI (People's Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia), and he was also elected as the Chief Treasurer of
Golkar Party. On December 10, 2001, he was appointed the governor of Gorontalo Province for the period 2001–2006, and in 2006 he won the Gorontalo gubernatorial election, making him governor until 2011. After his inauguration as Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries by President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on October 22, 2009, he appointed Deputy Governor Gusnar Ismail to replace him as Governor of Gorontalo until 2011. In 2007 he accomplished his doctorate in public administration, magna cum laude, from
University of Gadjah Mada,
Yogyakarta. From 2009 to 2011, he was appointed Minister of Maritime and Fisheries Affairs. ==Personal life==