27 Facts About Rizal Ramli

Rizal Ramli was an Indonesian politician, economist, and student activist.

Rizal Ramli served under President Abdurrahman Wahid's administration as Chair of the Indonesian Bureau of Logistics, Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry Minister of Finance in the National Unity Cabinet.

Rizal Ramli frequently threw scathing criticism towards something he deemed not in line with national interests, the source of the nickname "Rajawali Ngepret".

Rizal Ramli was forced to move in with his grandmother Kasina Rachman in Bogor, West Java when he was seven, due to the death of his parents.

At the age of three, Rizal Ramli was already able to read.

Rizal Ramli had to work at a printing press in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta for six months to pay for the tuition fees.

Rizal Ramli made use of his English skills and worked as a translator to pay his school fees at ITB.

One of the first critics of Soeharto in Indonesia at that time, Rizal Ramli was jailed for six months in 1978.

Rizal Ramli continued his education, finishing his Master of Arts in Asian Studies at Sophia University, Japan.

Rizal Ramli then graduated from Boston University with a Ph.

Rizal Ramli based his forecast on three points: private sector debt, current account deficit, and the overvalued Rupiah.

Rizal Ramli later remarried to Maryani, known as Xiaw Fung, until her death at Pondok Indah Hospital in South Jakarta, on 1 March 2011 due to cancer at the age of 47.

Rizal Ramli was appointed head of the Indonesian Bureau of Logistics by President Abdurrahman Wahid in March 2000.

Rizal Ramli was the chairman of Bulog for less than a year but he was regarded by some as making notable breakthroughs that increased Bulog's economic value in just six months.

Rizal Ramli was appointed Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Finance, and Industry on 23 August 2000, replacing Kwik Kian Gie.

Rizal Ramli then announced his 10 Program for the Acceleration of Economic Recovery.

Rizal Ramli saved the State Electricity Company or Perusahaan Listrik Negara from bankruptcy without injecting funds instead by way of asset revaluation, so that the capital from minus 9 trillion rupiahs jumped to a surplus of 119.4 trillion rupiahs.

Rizal Ramli was trusted several times as President Commissioner of State-Owned Enterprises, among them at PT.

Rizal Ramli confessed that at first he hesitated to accept the offer by President Widodo, for his basic expertise lies in economics.

Rizal Ramli is one of the few Indonesian economists that have been trusted to serve as the UN's economic advisor with other renowned international economists such as the economics Nobel laureate Amartya Sen of Harvard University, and two other Nobel laureates, Sir James Alexander Mirrleess of the UK and Rajendra K Pachauri among others.

Not long after being appointed Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, Rizal Ramli issued a statement that invited public controversy.

Rizal Ramli proposed the cancellation of plans by the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises to purchase new planes for Garuda Indonesia.

However, there are plenty who agree with Rizal Ramli, and consider him to be making issues more transparent.

In 2018, Rizal Ramli declared his intention to run for president in the 2019 Presidential Election.

Rizal Ramli issued an election promise: if elected president, he would arrest 100 bad people on his first day in office.

Rizal Ramli died at Dr Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in Central Jakarta, on 2 January 2024, due to pancreatic cancer at the age of 69.

Rizal Ramli's death was confirmed by his staff, Tri Wibowo Santoso.