A technology savvy minister in the post of the information and communications minister seems to be what Indonesia needs. Tifatul Sembiring may be one.

After he was elected as the information and communications minister last week, the 48-year-old has moved fast to accelerate information and technology (IT) systems in the country.

He introduced a new slogan, "Smooth Communications, Accurate Information" to develop IT, which he said should be integrated with education programs to raise technological awareness.

He also said IT should be integrated with business, similar to programs in developed countries like the US, where young people have emerged as media tycoons after creating popular Internet giants such as Google, Facebook and Twitter.

Tifatul himself uses Twitter to receive input from the public. With the nickname @tifsembiring he has asked the public what IT development they want. He has received warm responses so far, with a growing number of followers on Twitter.

His tweets about his activities are responded to by fellow twitterers. One even reminded him to focus on working, not tweeting while working.

His activities at the National Summit held Thursday were also responded to on Twitter, with people saying they expected the summit would bring "good results" for Indonesia.

Tifatul also likes to tweet silly rhyming poems sometimes. "Tweets are short so I can still write them," answered Tifatul when asked whether he wrote the tweets himself.

Tifatul also attended the Blogger Party last week and confessed he was also a blogger.

A political figure from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Tifatul studied at vocational school STM Pembangunan majoring in electronics. He then pursued study at Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Manajemen Informatika and Komputer in Jakarta.

His professional work history includes managing a publishing company, Asaduddin Press, from 1989 to the present, and working as an engineer for the state company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara from 1982 to 1989.

Tifatul began his political career in the late 1980s through activism in youth organizations with a strong Islamic influence. In 1990 he joined the Nurul Fikri Education Foundation before later becoming a member of the Indonesian Islamic Student Union (PII).

His activism and deep Islamic sentiments finally led him to join the PKS, where he later became the public relations head for the party from 1999 to 2000. His trails to power within the party include becoming party chairman for Sumatra (2000-2004), acting party president (2004-2005) and finally party president (2005-2009).

Tifatul was appointed as a lawmaker in the last general elections and later became chairman of House of Representatives Commission I overseeing defense, information and foreign affairs. Born in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, on Sept. 1961, Tifatul is married to Siti Rahayu with nine children.