Samsul Ashar

Samsul Ashar
Ashar in 2009
Mayor of Kediri
In office
2 April 2009 – 2 April 2014
Preceded byAchmad Maschut
Succeeded byAbdullah Abu Bakar
Personal details
Born(1961-09-16)16 September 1961
Kediri, East Java, Indonesia
Died13 March 2022(2022-03-13) (aged 60)
Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia

Samsul Ashar (16 September 1961 – 13 March 2022) was an Indonesian physician and politician who served as the mayor of Kediri, East Java between 2009 and 2014. After the end of his mayoralship, he would be sentenced in 2021 to prison for corruption related to a bridge's construction, and he died in 2022.

Early life

Samsul Ashar was born in Kediri on 16 September 1961. He spent his childhood there, graduating from high school at Kediri's State High School No. 2 before studying medicine at Brawijaya University, graduating in 1989. He would later study internal medicine at Airlangga University.[1]

Career

In 1989, Ashar began to work as a government doctor, starting at a puskesmas in Aceh Besar Regency. He later moved back to Kediri where he worked at the city's hospitals. By 2004, he was elected chairman of Kediri's branch of the Indonesian Medical Association.[1]

As mayor

When Kediri held its first direct mayoral election in 2008, Ashar ran with Abdullah Abu Bakar as running mate. With the endorsements of the National Mandate Party, the United Development Party, and the Prosperous Peace Party, the pair won with 136,279 votes (41.15%) in an eight-way race.[2] They were sworn in as mayor and vice mayor on 2 April 2009.[3] During his term as mayor, Ashar ordered the shutdown of the city's Semampir brothel area.[4] A new public hospital was also opened during his tenure, along with the new Brawijaya Bridge crossing the Brantas River.[1]

Aside from his mayoralship, Ashar also doubled as chairman of the city's football club Persik Kediri. In this capacity, he led a movement within the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI) to boycott its leadership, although he rejected proposals to hold a competing congress to PSSI's leadership congress.[5] Persik would conduct a corporate merger with Minangkabau FC during Ashar's chairmanship, the merger being done to fulfill PSSI's administrative requirements.[6] When new Ministry of Home Affairs rules were issued prohibiting the use of municipal government funds in local football clubs, Ashar used personal funds obtained from pawning valuables to support Persik's finances.[7]

In 2013, Ashar ran for reelection with his former deputy Abdullah running against him. In the election, Abdullah won 67,915 votes (51.6%) to Ashar's 63,784 (48.4%). Ashar filed a lawsuit to the Constitutional Court of Indonesia, claiming that vote buying (including Abdullah's campaign promise of a Rp 50 million annual stipend to each RT neighborhood) and intimidation occurred, but the lawsuit was rejected citing lack of evidence.[8] Abdullah was sworn in to replace Ashar on 2 April 2014.[9]

Later career and death

Ashar attempted to run for a second term again in Kediri's 2018 mayoral election, receiving the endorsement of PDI-P and Hanura.[10] He again lost to Abdullah, with Ashar securing 32,749 votes (22.1%) to Abdullah's 85,528 (57.7%) in a three-way race.[11]

In 2019, he was designated as a corruption suspect in the construction of the Brawijaya Bridge, with reported government losses of Rp 14 billion (USD 1 million).[12] Although prosecutors sought a 12-year prison sentence, Ashar received a 4.5 year-sentence in 2021.[13] It was later proven that the presiding judge had received a Rp 300 million bribe to give Ashar a lighter prison sentence, and the judge was fired by the Judicial Commission of Indonesia in 2023.[14]

He died during early morning on 13 March 2022 at the Siloam Hospital of Surabaya due to cancer, and he was buried in Kediri later that day. He had received treatment his cancer for some time beforehand.[15]

Personal life

Ashar was married to Dahlia Ishaq, and the couple had three children.[16][17]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Mantan Wali Kota Kediri Samsul Ashar Meninggal Dunia". bacaini.id (in Indonesian). 13 March 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  2. ^ "Pasangan Samsul-Abdullah Resmi Pimpin Kota Tahu". detiknews (in Indonesian). 27 October 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  3. ^ "DILANTIK, WALIKOTA DAN WAKIL WALIKOTA KEDIRI 2009-2014" (in Indonesian). East Java Provincial Government. 2 April 2009. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  4. ^ "Lokalisasi Semampir Kediri Akan Ditutup". Tribunnews.com (in Indonesian). 22 February 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  5. ^ "Persik tak Setuju Kongres PSSI Tandingan". Republika (in Indonesian). 29 April 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  6. ^ "Persik-Minangkabau FC Merger". detiksport (in Indonesian). 18 August 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  7. ^ "Mantan Wali Kota dr Syamsul Ashar Rela Gadaikan Barang Berharga Demi Bantu Persik Kediri Keluar dari Krisis Finansial". SATUKANAL.COM (in Indonesian). 13 March 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  8. ^ "Gugatan Pilkada Wali Kota Kediri Kandas". Tempo (in Indonesian). 26 September 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Soekarwo Minta Wali Kota Kediri dan Wakilnya Akur". Tempo (in Indonesian). 2 April 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  10. ^ Dwi, Andhika (11 January 2018). "Tiga Paslon Daftarkan diri ke Pilwali Kediri 2018". detiknews (in Indonesian). Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  11. ^ "Mas Abu dan Ning Lik Ditetapkan Jadi Wali Kota dan Wakil Wali Kota Kediri Terpilih". ANTARA News Jawa Timur (in Indonesian). 26 July 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  12. ^ "Eks Wali Kota Kediri Samsul Ashar Jadi Tersangka Korupsi Jembatan Brawijaya". Duta.co (in Indonesian). 31 January 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  13. ^ "Jaksa Tuntut 12 Tahun, Mantan Wali Kota Kediri Akhirnya Divonis 4 Tahun Penjara". memorandum.disway.id (in Indonesian). 17 September 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  14. ^ "Hakim Dede Suryaman Dipecat Buntut Kasus Suap Perkara Eks Wali Kota Kediri". VIVA.co.id (in Indonesian). 9 August 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  15. ^ Nugroho, Adi (14 March 2022). "Samsul Ashar, Wali Kota Kediri Ke-14 Itu Berpulang". Radar Kediri (in Indonesian). Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  16. ^ Masyhari, Nanang (13 November 2024). "Keluarga Besar Mantan Wali Kota Kediri Dukung Vinanda – Gus Qowim". Berita Jatim (in Indonesian). Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  17. ^ "Biodata dr. H. Samsul Ashar, Sp. PD" (in Indonesian). 7 August 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
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