Pursuits
Indonesia's Man of the People Finds the People Blocking His Way
- Rupiah, Jakarta share falls reflect concern about slow reforms
- Policy flip flops damage credibility of Jokowi pledges
Joko Widodo, Indonesia's president.
Photographer: Dimas Ardian/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Hours into his job as an Indonesian government minister, Rizal Ramli went public with his views on what President Joko Widodo’s government was doing wrong.
Listing policy problems in sectors including electricity generation and aviation, Ramli’s remarks set the tone for a tense first meeting last month of Widodo’s post-reshuffle cabinet. In a second-level boardroom in the whitewashed colonial-era state palace in Jakarta, Ramli was rebuked by Vice President Jusuf Kalla. Widodo spoke little during the exchange, though pointed out it was his job to make decisions.