Airlangga Pribadi Kusman and the Unpaid Debt

Following lunch today, Airlangga Pribadi Kusman was scheduled to appear at the UIN Ciputat campus alongside Rocky Gerung to discuss their latest book, Marhaenisme: A New Doctrine for Gen Z. However, since Wednesday morning, rumours have been circulating on social media that Airlangga has passed away.

“Yes, Jat. He suffered a high blood pressure attack: 240. He passed away at RSPAD at 13:35,” Suradi provided confirmation. The journalist from Sinar Harapan, whom I have known since the mid-1990s, once taught History at SMAN 8 Jakarta. He was the one who introduced me to Airlangga in mid-August 2023.

Airlangga later confirmed that he had indeed been Suradi’s student at SMAN 8 Jakarta from 1992 to 1994. “…he was the first to introduce Sukarno in historical studies,” Airlangga wrote via WhatsApp on 27 August 2023.

Three days later, he sent me the book Merahnya Ajaran Bung Karno: Narasi Pembebasan Ala Indonesia. Naturally, I was grateful and promised to find the time to read and review it. Admittedly, the book was approximately 500 pages thick.

The book featured an introduction by scholar Fachry Ali and the General Chairwoman of PDI Perjuangan, Prof. (HC) Hj. Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Unfortunately, before I could truly finish reading that book, other lighter books arrived. My attention was diverted. At some point, the book vanished from my desk. I am unsure who borrowed it. Perhaps this is one of my debts to Airlangga that remains unpaid.

I did not actually feel I knew the lecturer of Political Science from Airlangga University Surabaya very well. Our relationship was limited to that of an observer and a journalist. Occasionally, he would send writings or views on pressing political issues. Our last interaction was on 2 February 2026. He informed me that he had sent an open letter to the General Chairman of PBNU, Yahya C. Staquf, regarding the Board of Peace initiative proposed by US President Donald Trump.

A week prior, Airlangga sent an article titled “PDI Perjuangan and the Ideological Gamble in the Era of Pragmatism”. That piece was subsequently published on Sunday, 25 January 2026.

Beyond that, I followed the commentary and thoughts of the PhD in Political Science graduate from Murdoch University, Australia (class of 2016) through various posts on his Facebook wall.

In mid-August 2025, the Deputy Managing Editor of detik.com asked me to review the biography of Puan Maharani, titled Puan Maharani Digembleng oleh Keadaan. One reason I was interested in undertaking this was because the book was co-authored by Airlangga Pribadi Kusman and Yohan Wahyu. I have also interacted with Puan on several occasions. The review was planned for publication on 6 September, coinciding with the Speaker of the House’s birthday.

Although I initially assessed the book as being written with “much leniency,” I eventually completed my review. I opened it with a perhaps too cliché quote: Don’t judge a book by its cover. That expression felt relevant when I was about to write about Puan Maharani Nakshatra Kusyala Devi.

Before interviewing her on 7 August 2019, I was among those who looked down upon the daughter of Megawati Soekarnoputri and the veteran politician of the late Taufiq Kiemas. Puan’s image as a politician—and as the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (PMK)—who appeared overly reserved was one of the reasons.

She seemed allergic to journalists. She rarely gave interviews or was willing to be approached for quick comments. Furthermore, she seldom responded to confirmations via telephone or WhatsApp. On the other hand, Puan was already perceived as a “Crown Princess.” As the daughter of a former president and the leader of a major political party, she was thought to have received privileges that allowed her to directly occupy the position of Coordinating Minister for PMK during 2014–2019. In reality, coordinating ministerial positions are usually held by senior figures.

However, those negative impressions dissolved when Puan arrived at the detik.com newsroom without much protocol. Wearing a green batik blouse with minimal makeup, the woman born on 6 September 1973 appeared humble yet exuded authority. She answered several questions directly, fluently, structurally, and with confidence. Occasionally, Puan would crack jokes and laugh freely. She was not at all pretentious.

“That’s why, Mas… when judging people, don’t just look at the surface. Check their track record in full,” she remarked, somewhat pointedly. “I am actually kind, generous, and not arrogant,” she joked, accompanied by laughter.

Through the political biography Puan Maharani Digemblance oleh Keadaan, Airlangga Pribadi Kusman and Yohan Wahyu provided perspective and additional information regarding Puan. Examining her life from childhood to her time as a student at the University of Indonesia (UI), both concluded that Puan did not grow up on a red carpet.

She grew up amidst dusty roads, near gutters containing crabs, and in a simple house that also served as a site for political consolidation. Puan’s childhood is a story of adaptation, resilience, and the spirit of survival. Perhaps, in the often glamorous but fragile world of Indonesian politics, as Airlangga and Yohan wrote, that story serves as an essential foundation.

While composing her thesis in the Department of Mass Communication at FISIP UI, Puan researched family planning programmes in a village in Klaten. She lived in the loft of a farmer’s house, sleeping among sacks of paddy. There was no air conditioning. There was no soft mattress.

Yet, it was from there that she absorbed simplicity and understood the pulse of village life. During her internship, Puan chose to work at Majalah Forum Keadilan, which was then an icon of critical journalism. The magazine was managed by veteran journalists such as Panda Nababan and Karni Ilyas.

The book by Airlangga and Yohan helped me see Puan from a perspective I previously did not know much about. Without my realising it, writing that review felt like a small way to repay my debt to Airlangga.