At Donald Trump\u2019s election night party at Mar-a-Lago last year, rubbing shoulders with Elon Musk, Robert F Kennedy Jr and other supporters of the presidential candidate was an Indonesian businessman: Hary Tanoesoedibjo.<\/p>\n
Though less internationally recognised than others in the room, Hary is an important business partner for the presidential family, with a central role in developing two of the Trump Organization<\/a>\u2019s biggest real estate projects in Asia.<\/p>\n It is a role that has come under a renewed spotlight since Hary was mentioned in an inadvertently broadcast conversation between the US president and his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto last month, in which they appeared to be discussing Trump Organization business.<\/p>\n Prabowo told Trump \u201cwe\u2019ll look for a better place\u201d and said \u201cI told Hary\u201d. It was not clear what he was referring to as some of the conversation was not audible.\u00a0The conversation at a summit in Egypt also highlighted Trump\u2019s growing interest in Indonesia<\/a>, which he has called \u201ca new friend\u201d of the US.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s family business has two large real estate developments \u2014 including one in the popular tourist island of Bali \u2014 that have faced troubles with regulators and multiple delays.<\/p>\n Trump is also trying to convince Indonesia, the world\u2019s largest Muslim country by population, to join the Abraham Accords<\/a> \u2014 his signature policy to normalise ties between Israel and Muslim nations \u2014 and to support his peacekeeping plan for Gaza.<\/p>\n Prabowo also appears keen to build stronger ties with the US, despite Trump\u2019s imposition of <\/a>hefty tariffs<\/a> on Indonesian imports.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe mood is improving,\u201d said Dino Djalal, former Indonesian ambassador to the US of the relationship. \u201cBoth leaders have come to know one another, and President Trump has shown that he likes Prabowo, judging from the public comments that he has made about him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n While the Trump Organization\u2019s business in the country has not played a role until now in the broader relationship between the two countries, the hot mic moment suggests it may in the future, say some observers.<\/p>\n \u201cThe relationship between Trump and Prabowo is very dynamic, and it\u2019s not [just] about trade anymore but has spread to personal matters,\u201d said Bhima Yudhistira, executive director of Indonesia\u2019s Center of Economic and Law Studies, citing the conversation between the leaders.<\/p>\n Indonesia\u2019s foreign minister Sugiono called the leaders\u2019 exchange \u201ccasual\u201d, adding: \u201cI think President Prabowo and President Trump have a fairly close relationship, and they may discuss many things beyond official state matters.\u201d<\/p>\n The US president\u2019s family business first partnered with Hary and his conglomerate MNC a decade ago to build Trump-branded golf courses<\/a> and luxury residences in Bali and Bogor, a former Dutch colonial hill station outside the capital Jakarta.<\/p>\n The golf course in Bogor opened in March after years of construction delays. A few weeks before the launch, the environment ministry found that the MNC-run special economic zone \u2014 within which the golf course is located \u2014 had failed to obtain necessary permits.\u00a0<\/p>\n Residences and clubhouses at the golf course are still under construction. The special economic zone is still under investigation by the ministry for alleged environmental violations.\u00a0MNC has denied allegations from the ministry that its development had caused sedimentation in a nearby lake. It has also said previously that it\u00a0was adhering to applicable laws and regulations.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hary, the Trump Organization and MNC did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n In Bali, the Trump Organization first signed an agreement in 2015 to develop a golf club and resort. Some local media reports suggest it has been abandoned. <\/p>\n In an interview with CNN following the hot mic conversation, Eric Trump said the Bali project was still in the works.\u00a0\u201cWe have two of the biggest projects in Indonesia. They are probably two of the most consequential real estate projects in the region that started before my father\u2019s first presidency,\u201d he said when asked about Trump mixing business and politics.\u00a0<\/p>\n Habib Abiyan Dzakwan from CSIS Indonesia said it would be unwise for the government to provide any special treatment for the Trump Organization. \u201cThat will bluntly reaffirm impressions [that] doing business in Indonesia is driven by political ties rather than anchored in rule of law. Others may either ask for the same or be hesitant to invest altogether,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Prabowo\u2019s office did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n US President Donald Trump\u2019s \u201cpersonal assets are in a trust managed by his children, and have nothing to do with his presidential decision-making\u201d, said White House spokesperson Anna Kelly. Eric Trump did not respond to requests for comment. <\/p>\n Indonesia is also becoming more important politically for Trump as the US president looks to implement his peace plan for Gaza and persuade more Muslim nations to join<\/a> the Abraham Accords.<\/p>\n Jakarta does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, and has ruled out any normalisation of ties until Israel recognises an independent Palestine.\u00a0<\/p>\n Prabowo, who wants to play a bigger role in international affairs, has offered to deploy as many as 20,000 troops to Trump\u2019s international stabilisation force as part of the Gaza peace plan \u2014<\/a> the largest such offer so far.\u00a0<\/p>\n If Prabowo\u2019s promised peacekeeping forces come through, \u201cthe value of Indonesia to President Trump would be much higher,\u201d said former ambassador Dino.<\/p>\n Hary, 60, may be key to strengthening ties until then. <\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/images.ft.com\/v3\/image\/raw\/https%3A%2F%2Fd1e00ek4ebabms.cloudfront.net%2Fproduction%2F3459aa6d-a96d-43b2-856e-c65ff91ed3b7.jpg?source=next-article&fit=scale-down&quality=highest&width=700&dpr=1\")
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