Jusuf Kalla: I Apologise for Only Now Explaining the Viral Issue

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s 10th and 12th Vice President, Jusuf Kalla, has apologised for only now appearing before the public to explain several viral issues related to himself. “First, I apologise for only being able to explain these viral issues today, as I returned from Japan at dawn,” said the man familiarly known as JK during a press conference in Jakarta on Saturday. JK explained that he wished to clarify to the public regarding excerpts from a lecture he delivered at the Gadjah Mada University (UGM) Mosque during Ramadan 1447 Hijriah. “I want to respond and explain about my Ramadan lecture. A Ramadan lecture means that only Muslims are present, in a mosque no less. And on a campus, so the attendees are intellectuals. That’s the first thing to understand about the context,” he said. He then played excerpts of videos related to the Maluku and Poso conflicts for the audience. These two conflicts were shown, he said, as they were part of the viral lecture discussion circulating in society. “Since this concerns Maluku and Poso, before I explain, I want to show a glimpse first, because you are young, some may not have been born yet, as it happened about 26 years ago,” he said. He explained that the video was only a portion of the overall conflict. “I played the video first. This video is just the opening of the conflict, not the core, because what journalists could capture at the time was only in the cities,” he clarified. After playing the video, JK stated that the UGM lecture was about peace, not blaspheming religion. “I was invited and came because the theme was peace. So, specifically, the theme was about steps towards peace, more or less like that,” he said. Previously, JK delivered the lecture at the UGM Mosque on 5 March 2026, as part of Ramadan 1447 Hijriah. The lecture was titled Indonesia’s Diplomatic Strategy in Mitigating Potential Escalation of Multipolar Regional Wars. However, the lecture went viral in mid-April 2026. JK was even reported by the Central Board of the Indonesian Christian Youth Movement (GAMKI) to the Metro Jaya Police over the lecture, particularly regarding statements on martyrdom. The GAMKI Central Board reported JK on 12 April 2026.