Former Indonesian Minister Spotted Selling Rice at Glodok Market
The life of state officials after retirement often sparks public curiosity. Some choose to enjoy their twilight years, while others continue working to make ends meet. One such figure was Saifuddin Zuhri, Indonesia’s 10th Minister of Religious Affairs, who was quietly discovered selling rice at Glodok Market in Jakarta.
Saifuddin Zuhri was inaugurated on 2 March 1962 and served until 1967. After his ministerial tenure, he remained politically active as a member of the DPR-GR from the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) faction and later as a member of the DPR following the 1971 general election. However, once he fully retired from state positions, his life was far from luxurious.
According to the book Sang Pendoa: Para Kiai Fenomenal Pengayom Kedamaian Umat (2023), Saifuddin was known to sell rice at Glodok Market during the 1980s. Every morning around 9 a.m., after performing the Dhuha prayer, he would drive his own car loaded with merchandise to the market. He carried out this routine almost daily, and remarkably, his family remained unaware for a long time. They only knew he returned home with money, but not its source, until one of his children accidentally discovered him trading at Glodok.
Trading was not a new venture for Saifuddin. In his 1984 autobiography, Berangkat dari Pesantren, he recounted that in 1942, when his first child was born, he earned a living as a trader, selling anything that could generate income, from used clothing and household goods to cigarettes.
His modesty was evident even during his time as a minister. He famously refused to occupy the official ministerial residence, despite being entitled to it, choosing instead to remain in his private home on Jalan Dharmawangsa Raya No. 4 in Kebayoran Baru. When urged to accept the facility, he firmly stated, ‘That would make me greedy. If the Minister of Religious Affairs is already greedy, what about others… My stance is firm. I will continue to live in my own house.’ He later purchased a home on Jalan Hang Tuah 1/6, Kebayoran Baru, through instalments, and upon completing the payments, he donated the property free of charge for the social benefit of Nahdlatul Ulama.
Saifuddin Zuhri passed away on 25 February 1986 after a battle with illness. Decades after he left office, his dedication appeared to live on when his youngest son, Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, was entrusted with the position of Minister of Religious Affairs in President Joko Widodo’s Working Cabinet.