Mahfud MD

Names Mahfud MD was known by a number of different names throughout his life. • Mahfud MD, is his most popular and well known name. • Mohammad Mahfud MD, is his full name. • Mohammad Mahfud, was his birth name. Initials The initials MD, behind his name is an abbreviation of his father's name, Mahmodin. The additional name began when he studied at the Religious Teacher Education (PGA), an educational institution equivalent to a junior high school, where in one class there were several students by the name of Mahfud. To distinguish him, the teacher asked all students named Mahfud to put their parents' names behind each of their names. With Mahfud MD using the initials of his father. Accidentally, the name was written in his diploma. ==Early life, family, and Education==

Childhood and family Mohammad Mahfud MD, originally born only as Mohammad Mahfud, was born on 13 May 1957, in a village in Omben District, Sampang, Madura. He is the fourth child of seven children. His father was Mahmodin (died 2006), an employee at the Omben District office, Sampang Regency. While his mother was a housewife named Siti Khadidjah (1929–2025). When Mahfud was two months old, his family moved to Pamekasan, where Mahfud would spend most of his childhood. He graduated from the UII in 1983, becoming a lecturer. He later continued his postgraduate studies in political science, and graduating in 1989. He also graduated from Faculty of Law at UGM in 1993 with a law degree. His dissertation describes the causal relationship between political configuration and legal products in various periods, namely the period of Liberal Democracy, Guided Democracy, and the New Order. Academic career After graduating, he worked as a lecturer in a number of universities, including his alma mater UII, IAIN Sunan Kalijaga, and STIE Widya Wiwaha, Yogyakarta, and became a civil servant. He also held the academic position of Vice Chancellor of UII, from 1994 to 2000, Director/Professor of the Faculty of Law of UII, from 1996 to 2000, and Chancellor of the Kadiri Islamic University, from 2003 until 2006. ==Political career==

Early political career Cabinet minister (right) at the Defense Ministry in Jakarta, September 2000 Mahfud was appointed Minister of Defense by President Abdurrahman Wahid on 23 August 2000. The appointment of Mahfud as the Minister of Defense caused controversy, after being rumored that the appointment was disagreed by vice president Megawati Sukarnoputri, although Mahfud later admitted that he met Megawati in personal, and confirmed that she did not have any problems with his appointment. Following a cabinet reshuffle on 20 July 2001, Mahfud moved from the defense portfolio and was appointed Minister of Law and Human Rights. He held office briefly until Wahid's impeachment by the People's Consultative Assembly a few days later and the Mutual Assistance Cabinet's formation. People's Representative Council In 2004, Mahfud ran as a candidate for a seat in the People's Representative Council (DPR), as a member of the National Awakening Party. He ran in the East Java X electoral district, which includes the Lamongan and Gresik regencies. He was elected to the seat in the election. In the people's Representative Council, he served in the Third Commission of the People's Representative Council. In addition to the commission, Mahfud also served as Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Body of the DPR. The court is regarded as having made some progressive decisions and transformed the Constitutional Court being free of corruption during his time as chief justice but has also issued some surprising decisions such as an unexpected ruling in late 2012 that the existence of the upstream oil and gas regulatory agency BPMigas was unconstitutional. He was the biggest candidate for vice president on 2019 partnering Joko Widodo, but the decision was cancelled in the last minute. Coordinating Minister , 2022 In October 2019, Mahfud was appointed Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs of Indonesia in Onward Indonesia Cabinet. He often comments on issues concerning human rights in Indonesia. His comments, for example about the rights of atheists and communists under Indonesian law caused a fuss in mid-2012 when he said people could only be punished for being atheists or communists if they behaved in a way that breached the national ideology of Pancasila. More recently, in September 2012 he was critical of a proposal from the National Counterterrorist Agency to certify Islamic clerics and scholars as a way of minimising the risk of radicalism. During the 2023 Anti Rohingya Protest, he relocated 137 refugees to Indonesian Red Cross Society and Aceh Foundation Building, with the help from Jusuf Kalla. Kanjuruhan Stadium disaster On 3 October 2022, Mahmud appointed by Joko Widodo to led TGIPF (Tim Gabungan Independen Pencari Fakta; Joint Independent Fact Finding Team). The team was tasked to revealed facts of Kanjuruhan disaster that occurred on 1 October 2022. He was teamed with Zainudin Amali of Minister of Youth and Sport, Nur Rochmad, Rhenald Kasali of University of Indonesia academics, Sumaryanto of Yogyakarta State University rector, Akmal Marhali of Save Our Soccer coordinator, Anton Sanjoy of Kompas journalist, Nugroho Setiawan of AFC security officer, Doni Monardo of former BNPB chief, Suwarno of vice-chairman of KONI, Sri Handayani of former deputy regional police chief of West Borneo, Laode M. Syarif of former vice chief of KPK, and Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto of former Indonesian footballer. On 14 October, TGIPF assessed that there were 8 PSSI "sins" after the Kanjuruhan Tragedy and PSSI Chairman (Mochamad Iriawan) and executive committee members should resign. 2024 presidential campaign In October 2023, Mahfud was named as the running mate of Ganjar Pranowo, a presidential candidate put forward by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Indonesia's current ruling party. Commenting on their partnership, Ganjar described Mahfud as a qualified intellectual, a courageous, and honest individual who consistently advocates for the rights of the people. Mahfud acknowledged that, before joining Ganjar in the 2024 presidential campaign, he had been offered the position of running mate for Anies Baswedan by the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). However, he declined, fearing that accepting the offer might lead to accusations of dividing Anies coalition. Mahfud was convinced to join the PDI-P because it met the legal requirements to present their presidential-vice-presidential candidate. Ganjar and Mahfud came in third place with 16% of the vote, being defeated by Prabowo Subianto and his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Though they initially disputed the election, after the Constitutional Court of Indonesia rejected their lawsuit both candidates accepted the results and congratulated Prabowo and Gibran. == LGBTQ rights ==

In his role as Coordinating Minister of Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Mahfud has called on lawmakers to pass legislation that would curb the spread of LGBT activities. He has accused the Indonesian LGBT community of being a front for international organizations; however, he failed to tender evidence in favour of his allegations. He has also made a public statement that 'LGBT ideology' contradicts the religious values in Indonesia and should be resisted. Mahfud has broadly characterized homosexual conduct as being unconstitutional. His statement has also attracted condemnation from Nong Darol Mahmada, a member of the Liberal Islam Network. On 12 May 2022, in response to public controversy related to Deddy Corbuzier hosting a gay couple on his talk show, Mahfud reiterated that because there was currently no law criminalizing homosexual sex (other than those that fell under pre-existing grounds of sexual offences, such as statutory rape), the KUHP (Criminal Code) should be swiftly amended by Parliament to outlaw non-heterosexual intimate relations. However, Indonesia's new Criminal Code, which was signed into law in late 2022, does not specifically criminalise same-sex intimate conducts and relations. Instead, it criminalises sex outside marriage under Article 411 and cohabitation under Article 412 of the Code, both articles are for opposite-sex couples only, although some has pointed doubts about the enforcement of such articles. In May 2023, in his change of views, Mahfud stated that the new criminal code does not ban LGBT nor criminalize same-sex conduct because same-sex conduct between adults are difficult to prove. The new criminal code only regulate rape done by adults with a minor, regardless if it was done by the same or different sex. "LGBT [orientations] is a natural thing, it is not a sin and cannot be prohibited. So what is a sin is the behavior. LGBT people were created by God. Therefore, it cannot be prohibited," he said. == Personal life ==

Mahfud is married to Zaizatun Nihayati, a lawyer and teacher, who studied at the Faculty of Law, of the Islamic University of Indonesia, Yogyakarta. They first met on the campus of the Islamic University of Indonesia in 1978, when both were active in the Muslim Students' Association (HMI). They married on 2 October 1982, in Semboro, Jember. Together, they had three children: Mohammad Ikhwan Zein (born 1984), Vina Amalia (born 1989), and Royhan Akbar (born 1991). He is a fan of English Premier League club Manchester United and Liga 1 club Madura United FC. ==Honours==

National • : • Star of Mahaputera (2nd Class) () (10 August 2013) Others • At the first edition of Seputar Indonesia Awards by RCTI, in 2011, Mahfud MD was named as the newsmaker of the year, beating US President Barack Obama and World Bank managing director Sri Mulyani Indrawati. == References ==