HMI General Chairman Speaks Out: Do Not Reduce Jusuf Kalla's Remarks for Short-Term Interests!

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – The General Board of the Indonesian Islamic Student Association (PB HMI) has responded to the public dynamics surrounding the statement by the 10th and 12th Vice President of Indonesia, Jusuf Kalla, regarding religious issues that have now entered the legal realm. PB HMI emphasises the importance of maintaining public rationality and prioritising the principle of tabayyun so that the polemic does not harm social cohesion.

PB HMI General Chairman, Bagas Kurniawan, stated that Jusuf Kalla’s statement must be viewed in its entirety and proportionately. He assessed that JK’s track record in resolving conflicts in Indonesia should be a consideration in interpreting the narratives developing in public discourse.

“The separation between text, context, and interpretation is a primary prerequisite for reading a statement fairly. Reduction of the narrative has the potential to produce deviations in meaning that muddy public space,” said Bagas in his statement on Saturday (18/4/2026).

PB HMI also highlighted the tendency towards simplification in inter-religious issues. According to Bagas, theological matters cannot be drawn into black-and-white assessments because they risk causing misrepresentations if interpreted outside the internal framework of each belief.

In addition, PB HMI reminded that legal instruments should be used objectively and not as tools for escalating identity conflicts. All elements of the nation are invited to prioritise deliberative dialogue to maintain the knot of nationhood.

“We have a moral responsibility not to muddy the situation through hasty interpretations. The social condition must be nurtured through mature thinking and communication ethics,” said Bagas.

Previously, the polemic began with Jusuf Kalla’s lecture at the Gadjah Mada University Mosque (UGM) in early March 2026, which discussed communal conflicts in Poso and Ambon. In his presentation, JK touched on how each party in the conflict often believes their actions to be religiously correct, including the use of the term “martyr.”

A clip of the lecture then went viral on social media. However, not all of the delivery context was presented in full, leading to various interpretations in society. Some groups see it as conflict analysis, while others deem it sensitive because it concerns religious issues.