Surya Paloh Mourns Rachmat Gobel: 'His Passing Was So Sudden'

Rachmat Gobel, a member of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) from the NasDem Party faction, passed away in the early hours of this morning. NasDem Party Chairman Surya Paloh said the passing of the Deputy Speaker of the DPR for the 2019-2024 term came very suddenly.

“Yes, today we — myself personally, my family, the wider NasDem family and the late Bung Dr. Rachmat Gobel’s friends — feel immense grief, because his passing came so suddenly,” said Surya Paloh, speaking at the residence of the deceased in the Tebet area of South Jakarta on Friday (10/7/2026).

Surya explained that during his time with NasDem, Rachmat Gobel had held strategic positions in government. He also remembered Rachmat Gobel as a hard worker who was easy to get along with.

“During his time with the NasDem Party, he was entrusted with the position of Deputy Speaker of our House of Representatives, and he also served as Minister of Trade of this Republic. Yes, he was a hard worker, he was sociable, and I feel as though I have lost a younger brother,” he said.

Surya also recalled Rachmat Gobel’s background, noting that he had extensive connections in Japan. This was later leveraged by the government, with Rachmat Gobel entrusted to help maintain Indonesia’s bilateral relations with Japan.

“Yes, as I said earlier, he was someone who was genuinely easy to get along with. He was given special responsibilities, both by the government and by the party, to help maintain communication and bilateral relations between Indonesia and Japan. This was because of his educational background — he spent many years in Japan,” said Surya Paloh.

“So there were many senior figures in government and business in Japan whose friendships he maintained, in order to obtain information that was as objective as possible about developments and progress in our country,” he added.

It is understood that Rachmat Gobel passed away in the early hours of this morning. The news of his death was confirmed by NasDem Party Executive Board (DPP) Chairman Willy Aditya. Rachmat Gobel died in Jakarta.

“Our deepest condolences. Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un. H. Rachmat Gobel has returned to the mercy of Allah on Friday, 10 July 2026, at 03.20 WIB, in Jakarta,” said Willy.