JK and Malino I-II Historical Figures Agree to Maintain Peace

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s 10th and 12th Vice President Jusuf Kalla (JK) along with historical figures from the Malino I agreement in Poso and Malino II in Maluku have agreed to maintain peace amid reports on the content of his lecture at Gadjah Mada University (UGM). “Friends from the media, we have met and agreed to certainly maintain peace, so that those effects and slanders are not misunderstood,” JK said during a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday. He explained that the meeting was to revisit the sibling wars in Poso and Maluku 25 years ago and to explore a joint agreement that the issue of his UGM lecture is considered resolved. “However, what I conveyed was what happened in Poso and Ambon 25 years ago,” he stated. Additionally, JK noted that the content of the lecture regarding the civil war conditions in Poso and Maluku came from the campus side to discuss the peace process he undertook as a state representative. “My lecture at Gadjah Mada was at their request to talk about the peace process. The long road to peace, that was the topic of the talk,” he said. “I invited the gentlemen and friends from Ambon and Poso to give understanding to us all, to share experiences because what I said was actually just an introduction,” he added. One of the historical figures, Sugianto Kaimuddin from the Muslim delegation in the Malino I negotiations in Poso, affirmed that the polemic over the lecture’s content has been peacefully resolved through the open forum. “I’ll say straight away that the Poso riot matter is clear. There’s nothing to discuss because what Pak JK conveyed is field fact,” he said. As one of the Poso parties present, Sugianto stated that the community and interfaith groups in Poso Regency have agreed that JK’s UGM lecture must not be politicised. “Recently, we formed an institution called the Interfaith Solidarity of Poso Regency. Which outlines several points of agreement, including that we strongly disagree and reject if Bapak M.H. Jusuf Kalla’s lecture or public talk is politicised,” he said. Therefore, Sugianto said that the historical figures in Poso quickly took action to hold a meeting with other historical figures and JK to create peaceful conditions. “We heard the information, we quickly now do whatever meetings. We connect with one another. For the sake of our common welfare and safety,” he stated.