Abdul Rachman Ramly

Abdul Rachman Ramly began working in the oil industry during the Japanese occupation, taking a training course at Pangkalan Susu before becoming a drilling foreman. Born in Langsa, Aceh, in 1927, he joined the military police during Indonesia’s independence struggle. Subsequent military education took him to Bandung and Fort Bragg. He combined operational and intelligence work with diplomatic assignments in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore, and New York. ^{1, 4}

Ramly led the state tin company from 1976 and became president director of Pertamina in 1984. At the tin company he reorganized management and dismissed officials implicated in irregularities. On taking charge of Pertamina, he called for tighter accounting, reduced oil losses, more effective refinery operations, and exploration. These assignments preceded his appointment as ambassador to the United States in 1988. ^{1, 2}

His Washington program included commercial and cultural outreach. In October 1991 the IMF Visitors’ Center scheduled him to discuss Indonesia’s economic challenges and opportunities alongside IMF and World Bank specialists. The embassy also sponsored an exhibition there as part of the Festival of Indonesia in the United States. After returning home in 1993, he became president commissioner of Astra International and later vice president commissioner. He died in Jakarta on 29 July 2017. ^{3, 1, 4}