JAKARTA, March 24 — New sovereign fund Danantara Indonesia unveiled yesterday what it called a "dream team" to chart its strategy, including ex-presidents as well as advisory roles for hedge fund manager Ray Dalio, economist Jeffrey Sachs and former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
Danantara, launched last month, is Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's main vehicle to achieve his 8 per cent economic growth target by 2029 by managing all shares of state-owned enterprises and reinvesting the dividends in commercial projects.
The fund is slated to eventually manage more than US$900 billion (RM4 trillion) worth of assets and has been described by officials as Indonesia's version of Singapore's Temasek.
Former Indonesian Presidents Joko Widodo and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono were named members of the fund's steering committee, while Dalio, founder of the world's largest hedge fund Bridgewater, will assume the advisory role alongside Thaksin, a billionaire who spent 15 years in self-exile avoiding jail for abuse of power and is the father of Thailand's current premier Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
Reuters could not immediately contact Widodo and Yudhoyono for comment, while Bridgewater and Thaksin's representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Media reports said former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is also set to become an advisor to Danantara. When asked whether Blair will join, Danantara CEO Rosan Roeslani would only say that the fund will announce more names later.
Sachs in an email told Reuters he had been appointed Prabowo's special adviser.
"And in this capacity (I) will serve on the advisory board of Danantara," he said. "My work is entirely voluntary, to support Indonesia’s sustainable development, and is without any compensation."
These advisers will offer guidance on managing the impact of global risks from intensified financial volatility and geopolitical factors, Danantara's chief investment officer Pandu Sjahrir said at the appointment ceremony.
In its first wave of investment worth US$20 billion (RM90 billion), Danantara will target projects in natural resources processing, artificial intelligence development, and energy and food security.
The establishment of Danantara and concerns about the state's substantive role in the economy were among the causes of a market selloff last week in Southeast Asia's biggest economy, according to some analysts, when the main stock index fell as much as 7 per cent, triggering a trading halt.
Indonesian stocks tumbled yesterday to their lowest since August 2021, while the rupiah currency hit a three-week low as concerns over the country's fiscal health and growth prospects linger.
There have been concerns in financial markets over potential political interference in Danantara, though Prabowo has said the fund could be audited anytime by anyone.
— Reuters
