The relationship between Governor of South Kalimantan Sahbirin Noor and businessman Andi Syamsuddin Arsyad alias Haji Isam is more than just a family connection. Sahbirin is the younger brother of Syamsuddin's mother. In South Kalimantan, he is better known as 'Uncle Birin'. This refers to his family relationship to Syamsuddin, an influential man in the coal business in South Kalimantan.

Sahbirin began his career through the government bureaucracy.