Tomy Winata
Encyclopedia
Tomy Winata is an Indonesia
n businessman who works primarily in the fields of banking and real estate. He was born the son of a spare parts trader and dropped out of school in the seventh grade to sell home-made ice pops to support his family. According to The Washington Post
, he then "rose from a car washer and office boy to become one of the nation's richest men". In 2006, he was listed as #35 on a Forbes
list of "the 40 richest men in Indonesia", with an estimated worth of $110 million USD.
PT Bangungraha Sejahtera Mulia, received support from the governors of Banten
and Lampung
to be the lead contractor in the construction of the Sunda Strait Bridge
and was eventually chosen.
He has looked for business ventures outside of Indonesia, including in Timor L'Este.
In addition to his other businesses, Winata runs a "tiger
rescue center" in Tambling Nature Wildlife Conservation Park, in which he attempts to reintroduce "conflict tigers"—tigers that have attacked or killed humans—into the wild.
following an article's suggestion that he was involved in the February 2003 burning of the Tanah Abang
textile market in Jakarta
. On 16 September 2004, Tempo editor-in-chief Bambang Harymurti
was found guilty of "defamation and false reporting" and sentenced to a year in prison, but article author Ahmad Taufik
and editor Iskandar Ali were exonerated. BBC News
described the case as being "widely criticised as an attack on Indonesia's press", and Amnesty International
declared Harymutri to be a prisoner of conscience
. On 9 February 2005, Harymutri's sentence was overturned by the Supreme Court of Indonesia
, a spokesperson for which stated, "We want to ensure that journalists are protected."
A US State Department cable published by Wikileaks
described Winata as having "a specially close relationship" with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
and alleged that he was the head of a crime syndicate called "The Gang of Nine" or "The Nine Dragons". The cable also alleged that Winata had funneled money to Yudhoyono for "questionable political purposes". Winata denied the allegations, dismissing them as the gossip of rival politicians and stating, "I would prefer to lick your shoes [...] than for you to believe the WikiLeaks rumors." He stated that his relationship with the President was that of "any other citizen".
The Vancouver Sun and Asia Sentinel
reported that Winata's conglomerate, the Artha Graha Group, was also implicated in the 2011 bribery of Singaporean politicians with traveler's checks.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n businessman who works primarily in the fields of banking and real estate. He was born the son of a spare parts trader and dropped out of school in the seventh grade to sell home-made ice pops to support his family. According to The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, he then "rose from a car washer and office boy to become one of the nation's richest men". In 2006, he was listed as #35 on a Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
list of "the 40 richest men in Indonesia", with an estimated worth of $110 million USD.
Business ventures
Winata owns numerous businesses under the banner Artha Graha Group. One of them, the consortiumConsortium
A consortium is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a common goal....
PT Bangungraha Sejahtera Mulia, received support from the governors of Banten
Banten
Banten is a province of Indonesia in Java. Formerly part of the Province of West Java, it was made a separate province in 2000.The administrative center is Serang. Preliminary results from the 2010 census counted some 10.6 million people.-Geography:...
and Lampung
Lampung
Lampung is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southern tip of the island of Sumatra and borders the provinces of Bengkulu and South Sumatra. Lampung is the original home of the Lampung people, who speak a distinct language from other people in Sumatra and have their own alphabet. Its...
to be the lead contractor in the construction of the Sunda Strait Bridge
Sunda Strait Bridge
The Sunda Strait Bridge is a planned road and railway megaproject between the two Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java...
and was eventually chosen.
He has looked for business ventures outside of Indonesia, including in Timor L'Este.
In addition to his other businesses, Winata runs a "tiger
Sumatran Tiger
The Sumatran tiger is a tiger subspecies that inhabits the Indonesian island of Sumatra and has been classified as critically endangered by IUCN in 2008 as the population is projected at 176 to 271 mature individuals, with no subpopulation having an effective population size larger than 50...
rescue center" in Tambling Nature Wildlife Conservation Park, in which he attempts to reintroduce "conflict tigers"—tigers that have attacked or killed humans—into the wild.
Controversy
Winata was involved in a high-profile case against the news magazine TempoTempo magazine (Indonesia)
Tempo is an Indonesian weekly magazine that covers news and politics. It was founded by Goenawan Mohamad and Yusril Djalinus and the first edition was published in March 1971.-New Order era:...
following an article's suggestion that he was involved in the February 2003 burning of the Tanah Abang
Tanah Abang
Tanah Abang is a subdistrict of Central Jakarta, Indonesia. The subdistrict hosts the biggest textile market in Southeast Asia, Tanah Abang Market...
textile market in Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
. On 16 September 2004, Tempo editor-in-chief Bambang Harymurti
Bambang Harymurti
Bambang Harymurti , commonly referred to by his initials BHM, is a journalist and editor-in-chief of Tempo. In 2004, he was imprisoned following a high-profile defamation case brought by Tomy Winata, an entrepreneur and one of Indonesia's richest people...
was found guilty of "defamation and false reporting" and sentenced to a year in prison, but article author Ahmad Taufik
Ahmad Taufik
Ahmad Taufik is an Indonesian newspaper journalist known for his articles critical of the dictatorship of President Suharto.Taufik worked as a reporter at the magazine Tempo until its banning by Information Minister Harmoko of Suharto's New Order government in 1994...
and editor Iskandar Ali were exonerated. BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
described the case as being "widely criticised as an attack on Indonesia's press", and Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
declared Harymutri to be a prisoner of conscience
Prisoner of conscience
Prisoner of conscience is a term defined in Peter Benenson's 1961 article "The Forgotten Prisoners" often used by the human rights group Amnesty International. It can refer to anyone imprisoned because of their race, religion, or political views...
. On 9 February 2005, Harymutri's sentence was overturned by the Supreme Court of Indonesia
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
, a spokesperson for which stated, "We want to ensure that journalists are protected."
A US State Department cable published by Wikileaks
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
described Winata as having "a specially close relationship" with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono AC , is an Indonesian politician and retired Army general officer who has been President of Indonesia since 2004....
and alleged that he was the head of a crime syndicate called "The Gang of Nine" or "The Nine Dragons". The cable also alleged that Winata had funneled money to Yudhoyono for "questionable political purposes". Winata denied the allegations, dismissing them as the gossip of rival politicians and stating, "I would prefer to lick your shoes [...] than for you to believe the WikiLeaks rumors." He stated that his relationship with the President was that of "any other citizen".
The Vancouver Sun and Asia Sentinel
Asia Sentinel
Asia Sentinel is a web-based Asian regional publication focused on news, business, arts and culture. The site was launched in August 2006....
reported that Winata's conglomerate, the Artha Graha Group, was also implicated in the 2011 bribery of Singaporean politicians with traveler's checks.