On His 84th Birthday, JK Recalls How He Was Suddenly Called Upon by Gus Dur to Enter Politics
He shared this during a celebration of his 84th birthday at his residence on Jalan Brawijaya IV, South Jakarta, on Saturday (May 16, 2026). JK stated that he never planned to enter the world of politics. According to him, his entry into government happened suddenly when he was a member of the MPR representing his region. He recounted that when Gus Dur was forming his cabinet after being elected president, there was a discussion about the representation of Eastern Indonesia in the government. At that time, JK said, his name was mentioned as someone who would be suitable for the role.
“Suddenly, when President Gus Dur was proposing his cabinet, he said, ‘Who can represent Eastern Indonesia?’ Only one person could, and that was me. So I joined the cabinet,” said JK.
Since then, JK’s political career has continued to rise. He has served as Minister of Industry and Trade, Minister of Coordinating Welfare (Menko Kesra), and twice as vice president under Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Joko Widodo.
“I used to be a member of the DPR, then a minister, then Menko Kesra, vice president, and then I failed to become president,” he said.
He divided his life journey into three major phases. The first phase was his education and organizational activities from childhood until the age of 25, then the second phase was developing the family business for about 35 years, and the third phase was when he entered the world of politics and government.
“My life is divided into three parts. One-third, one-third. From childhood until the age of 25, I was in school. While also being active in various activities, if you count them, there were many. I participated in all kinds of organizations for 25 years,” he said.
After completing his education, JK said he immediately continued his father’s business. At that time, he faced a crossroads when he was offered an important position in the government.
JK revealed that his thesis when he was in economics faculty was about rice. Because he was considered to understand the issue, he was once asked to fill the position of Head of Bulog.
“When I graduated from the economics faculty, my thesis was about rice. So when the Head of Bulog was going to be replaced, they asked me to replace him, because ‘Mr. Jusuf knows a lot about it’,” he said.
According to JK, this proposal was even supported by a number of important figures, from governors to the Commander. However, the plan was eventually canceled after his father asked him to focus on continuing the family business.
“But when I asked my father, he only gave one answer, ‘So, who will continue the company?’ Oh dear,” said JK, which was met with laughter from the guests.
JK then chose to be involved in the business world for decades. He said he went through the business process gradually, starting as a manager and eventually leading the family company.
“Business also happened gradually. When I was a manager, my father said, ‘You’re the manager,’ even though I only had two subordinates. Eventually, I became a director, and my father took a step back. Then I became the CEO,” said the Chairman of the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI).
At the age of 84, JK said he is now more focused on several areas that he calls ‘A-B-S-D’. A refers to religion through his activities as Chairman of the Indonesian Mosque Council, B for business which is now mostly managed by his children, S for social work through the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), and D for peace.
“Now, I say I only take care of A-B-S-D. I take care of religion, as Chairman of the Indonesian Mosque Council. I take care of business, I see my children here who are in charge, I just look at it,” he said.
Regarding peace, JK said he is still actively helping to resolve conflicts in two countries. However, he is reluctant to reveal details because he has a principle that peace diplomacy should not be made public before significant progress is achieved.
“We are currently still working on two countries to see how they can achieve peace, but my principle is that peace should not be made public. It should not be published before achieving 80 percent,” he explained.
JK then gave an example of the Aceh peace process, which was carried out in secret before finally reaching an agreement in Helsinki, Finland.
“In the past, Aceh was like that, no one knew that there was a meeting in Helsinki until it was finished,” he added.
On the other hand, JK said he is grateful to still be in good health at the age of 84. However, he also reminded that as age increases, the time of life becomes more limited, so good deeds and worship must be increased.
“It can be said that I have a long life, it can be said, ‘Alhamdulillah, I have little time left.’ That means worship is important because there is little time left,” he said. (bel/azh)“}