Solo Eyes and Ears

Rachmat Gobel vented his frustration when he met with Billy Haryanto at the office of the Jokowi National Secretariat in Menteng, Jakarta, in early June. As trade minister, Rachmat felt he had been overstepped by the official from the Indonesian Association of Rice Milling and Rice Businesspeople. He accused Billy of complaining too much to President Joko Widodo about the rising prices of rice in the market.

Muhammad Yamin, chairman of the Jokowi National Secretariat who had facilitated the meeting, tried to mediate. However, Rachmat had become too emotional. He even accused Billy of being involved in scheming to drive up rice prices. Billy denied that accusation directly to Rachmat. "I am an ustad. I don't do things like that," he said, referring to how Islamic clerics are called.