Indonesia's Call to Withdraw from the Board of Peace Continues to Echo

Wanda Hamidah has urged the Indonesian government to withdraw from the Board of Peace (BOP). In a press conference titled ‘Crush the New Style of Occupation: Reject the BOP!’, she argued that Indonesia’s participation in the forum contradicts the constitutional mandate and lacks international legitimacy. According to Wanda, Indonesia should be consistent with the principles set out in the opening of the 1945 Constitution, which rejects all forms of colonialism in the world.

‘Because the opening of the 1945 Constitution clearly states that our country must support all nations in their independence and eradicate colonialism from the face of the earth,’ Wanda said in Kwitang, Senen District, Central Jakarta, on Friday (6/3). She said the government’s decision to participate in the forum runs counter to that principle.

Moreover, Wanda harshly criticised President Prabowo Subianto for sitting with those described as war criminals. ‘This is an extraordinary violation when our president sits with killers and people already designated by the International Criminal Court (ICC). But this is precisely sitting with murderers and genocide perpetrators,’ she added.

She also questioned the legality of the Board of Peace, saying it is not an official body within the international system such as the United Nations (UN). ‘The Board of Peace is not even United Nations, not the UN. Why does Trump not use UN mechanisms? This is a body outside the United Nations that has no legal standing and no rules,’ she said.

She even described the forum as a body formed outside the international mechanism and with interests in Palestine. ‘This is a body founded by Trump and his proxies to destroy al-Aqsa/Masjid al-Aqsa, in particular,’ she added.

Wanda also highlighted the issue of a Rp17 trillion fund reportedly raised from the Indonesian people. She questioned that policy while many Indonesians still face hardship at home. ‘Rp17 trillion donated by the Indonesian people, money earned through sweat, while our brothers and sisters in Sumatra (flood victims) are still suffering, still sleeping on the streets, and cannot obtain food and shelter,’ she said.

Therefore, Wanda argued that the government should have the option not to participate in the forum, echoing a foreign policy stance Indonesia once took under President Sukarno. ‘So, Indonesia says we have no choice is absurd; we have a choice, as President Sukarno did, to not join the occupiers,’ she said.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Nawawi, General Chairman of Generasi Muda Mathla’ul Anwar, said the government should take a firm stance by withdrawing from the forum. He argued the exit from BOP should be urged by all elements of society for the government to take a clear decision regarding Indonesia’s position in the forum.

‘I agree that there must be pressure from all elements urging President Prabowo to take a firm stance and withdraw from BOP,’ he said. He believed the momentum to withdraw is growing, especially after the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East involving the United States and Israel. He said the situation could justify Indonesia reevaluating its involvement in a forum that claims to be a platform for peace.

‘In my view, this is the right moment for an exit. If America and Israel today bomb and violate international law by attacking Iran, then this is a contradiction with the peace narrative built through the forum,’ he added. ‘I think this is a suitable moment to exit, if that is the claim of their leadership of the Peace Council.’

The situation is prompting young activists to plan peaceful actions on Saturday (7/3) and Sunday (8/3) at 17:00. The protests around the Arjuna Wijaya Horse Statue in Gambir, Central Jakarta, are expected to involve thousands from various sectors of society.