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ranciscus Welirang is overwhelmed with anxiety whenever he thinks about the food situation in Indonesia, which he describes as “tending to worsen”. Since he thinks about it almost all the time, most of his life is spent in high anxiety. His problem is that our resource-rich country is trapped in a monochrome, monoculture diet.

The public, according to him, has been conditioned to choose rice as their staple food despite many other options. It’s as if rice consumption enhances one’s prestige, a phenomenon that has prevailed for decades without proper government attention.

Franky, as he likes to be known, has been engaged in discussions about food for the last eight years — food supply and food quality. He has been talking to students from one campus to another, in his office and even at home. His life is a constant diet of food, food and more food. He knows strong will and a strong stomach is required to change the national mindset.

“Young people need a clear understanding and philosophy of food and food consumption strategy,” he said following a discussion in his house.

“Students need to think about the future of Indonesian food.”

His emphasis is that food policy should be sustainable and based on an ideology. It should not change with the transfer of power. Food availability should be the subject of study and policy by at least the health and agriculture ministries.

Speaking at “Food Sovereignty for the People”, organized by the 1966 Generation’s Solidarity Information and Development Institute (Lintasan ’66) in Jakarta on Oct. 29, he specifically attacked the new Food Law endorsed by the House on Oct. 18. Franky is Chairman of the Permanent Committee on Food Resilience of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and he reckons the law will be difficult, if not impossible, to implement. “When food prices soar, people will get angry and blame the government. The legislators will remain undisturbed and feel immune, even though the law which caused the problems is their product.”

Franky sees five areas which have been neglected or forgotten in the law’s detailed definitions: pregnant women, children under five, adults up to the age of 27, older people up to the age of 55 and senior citizens. That’s pretty much everybody. In his view, there was reckless negligence in the formulation of the law.

Through Indofood Riset Nugraha (IRN) and his great passion for food politics, Franky has provided research funding for 45 students at several universities throughout Indonesia. This program targets researchers modeling national food resilience. Food manufacturer Indofood makes available a total of Rp1.2 billion (US$124,800) for this purpose.

“We need quality researchers. The IRN will motivate students to develop ideas and innovate. Food diversification will benefit the Indonesian nation.”

Grandfather of two, Franky was born in Padang in 1951. In spite of his work load and corporate duties, he tries to avoid stress. “It’s our own minds that make things complicated; controlling the mind is the way to get rid of stress.” Enjoying life and working steadily without becoming a workaholic, he holds to the principle that whatever one does should be based on one’s capability. “In this way we won’t blame others if we fail in our tasks,” he says. Franky always tries to spend his weekends with his family and nurtured an attitude of independence in his children, making his two daughters fully self-reliant.

“Making people happy adds to our enjoyment of life,” he believes.

His timetable includes visits to small and medium businesses like noodle stalls and warung (street food sellers). He even spends the night on their mats with them when inspecting their operations in Wonogiri, Purwokerto, Cirebon, and other cities across Java. During these tours Franky is more concerned with learning from the traders than teaching them. He is interested in how they deal with their problems. Franky constantly reminds his employees to face problems instead of being satisfied with their achievements. “Complacency will halt further headway,” is his mantra.

Franky’s modest appearance and amicable approach makes him a respected boss. His attitude can be summed up in the fact that he drives a 2002 Suzuki Escudo, while many of his staff drive far more expensive cars. “It is very important for a boss to communicate with properly with his workers so that while they’re aware of the position of the man they’re talking to, they don’t feel like they’re talking with a god,” he laughs.

Franky knows that a real leader avoids giving orders without giving inspiration and showing empathy. The achievements of a company or its workers depend on the leadership. “Success is determined by how a leader observes his personnel. A leader should never issue mere orders. Machines are fit for orders alone, not men.”