Hikmahanto: Indonesia's BoP membership requires DPR ratification; hopes for rejection

Jakarta — Professor of International Law at the University of Indonesia, Hikmahanto Juwana, says there must be DPR ratification of Indonesia’s membership in the Board of Peace (BoP), the body formed by Donald Trump, for it to be legitimate. ‘In my view this should be done by presenting it to the DPR for ratification with the hope that the DPR will reject it,’ he told Kompas.com on Tuesday, 3 March 2026. ‘We could cease to be members if the BoP charter ratification process is rejected by the DPR,’ he added. Hikmahanto argues that internationally, Indonesia is listed as a BoP member under Article 11 of the BoP Charter, but domestic parliamentary ratification remains necessary. Wakil Ketua MPR and senior PKS politician Hidayat Nur Wahid (HNW) urged President Prabowo Subianto to seriously consider the option of withdrawing from BoP if the body is expanding war rather than delivering peace. ‘I appreciate that demand, and it would be good if Mr Prabowo truly considers it, because Indonesia’s presence should not be used as a stamp of legitimacy to widen this war. Peace should not then widen into further conflict,’ he said at the Parliament Complex, Jakarta, on Tuesday, 3 March 2026. According to Hidayat, BoP was formed to deliver peace not only in Palestine but in other conflict zones as well. But now, the US is fuelling a war in the Middle East. ‘Its moral legitimacy is also in question,’ he added. From the PDI-P faction, member of the DPR’s Commission I, Tubagus Hasanuddin, urged RI to withdraw from BoP because the US has helped Israel attack Iran. Hasanuddin said Indonesia’s participation in BoP has breached the principle of ‘free and active’ foreign policy as mandated by the constitution, because the organisation allows military aggression against other nations. ‘The mandate to actively maintain world peace is not reflected when Indonesia becomes part of an organisation that tolerates military aggression, such as the US-Israel invasion of Iran,’ Hasanuddin told Kompas.com on Tuesday, 3 March 2026.