PKS MPP Urges Prabowo to Withdraw Indonesia's Membership in the BoP
The Majelis Pertimbangan Pusat Partai Keadilan Sejahtera (MPP PKS) has urged President Prabowo Subianto to withdraw Indonesia’s membership in the Peace Board forum, the Board of Peace (BoP).
MPP PKS Chairman Mulyanto said that the military operation launched by the United States along with its ally Israel against Iran has, objectively, altered the strategic context underpinning the formation of the BoP.
“We believe a comprehensive and earnest evaluation of Indonesia’s membership in BoP is essential,” Mulyanto said via WhatsApp on Thursday, 5 March 2026.
He noted that Indonesia’s foreign policy of bebas aktif—a policy of a free and active foreign policy—often leads the country to participate in various global forums, with constructive aims of supporting stability and peace.
On the Palestine issue, he said, Indonesia’s position has been consistent and firm: supporting Palestinian independence; urging an end to violence, protection of civilians, and a just solution based on international law and the principle of self-determination.
However, Mulyanto continued, when key actors in a peace architecture are involved in large-scale military escalations, it is natural to have questions about the credibility of a forum initiated by that key country.
Rather than maintaining peace, he said, the United States has sparked conflict by launching strikes on Iran that killed the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, over the weekend.
With these considerations, Mulyanto reminded the Prabowo administration to take strategic steps, including maintaining flexibility and independence in positions at various international forums. He said that if BoP no longer effectively contributes to de-escalation and a just resolution of conflicts, then options to review the arrangement, including freezing participation, should be considered seriously.
“Evaluating membership in BoP is not an emotional stance, but a rational step,” Mulyanto said.
Calls for Indonesia to withdraw from BoP have been voiced by various groups. The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), for example, views BoP as ineffective in realising genuine independence for Palestine. This assessment is reinforced by the joint attack by Israel on Iranian territory.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Sugiono said talks within BoP were temporarily halted in response to the rising tensions in the Gulf. He stated this in response to calls for Indonesia to withdraw from BoP.
“BoP talks are now all on hold, and attention has shifted to the situation in Iran,” Sugiono told reporters at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday evening, 3 March 2026.
Indonesia’s decision to join BoP was taken when Prabowo attended the World Economic Forum in Switzerland on Thursday, 22 January. In the presence of US President Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Prabowo affixed his signature to the BoP charter as a sign of Indonesia’s approval to join the forum established by a country closely allied with Israel.