Prabowo Discusses BoP with Former Presidents: Indonesia Remains a Member
President Prabowo Subianto discussed Indonesia’s membership of the Board of Peace (BoP) in a forum with former presidents, former vice-presidents, and the general chairmen of political parties. To his guests, Prabowo explained the reasons for bringing Indonesia to the body initiated by United States President Donald Trump.
The discussion took place at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday evening, 3 March 2026. ‘As explained earlier, there are various strategic considerations behind Indonesia taking the position as a BoP member,’ said Surya Paloh, leader of the NasDem Party and one of Prabowo’s guests, after the meeting.
In the same forum, Paloh said Prabowo also asserted that Indonesia remains a member of the Board of Peace. The stance would be maintained even as the body’s founder, the United States, is waging war against Iran. ‘As of today, it still appears to be in that position (still on the Board of Peace),’ Paloh said.
Nevertheless, Paloh added, Prabowo was open to reevaluating Indonesia’s BoP membership in line with developments that might occur. ‘Unless there is a development together with several other countries, we will reassess the meaning of Indonesia’s participation in BoP with other countries,’ he said.
Prabowo had previously invited former presidents, former vice-presidents, former foreign ministers, party leaders in Parliament, and a number of businesspeople to attend a national dinner at the Presidential Palace. The meeting began at 19:30 WIB and ended about 3.5 hours later.
Among the guests were former presidents Joko Widodo and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono; former vice-presidents Ma’ruf Amin, Jusuf Kalla, and Boediono; and party leaders such as Bahlil Lahadalia of Golkar, Al Muzammil Yusuf of the Justice and Prosperity Party, as well as Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and the Democratic Party.
In the forum at the Presidential Palace, Paloh said the guests also offered ideas to Prabowo. The main issue discussed, he said, was the war against Iran conducted by the United States and Israel.
Indonesia’s membership of the BoP previously sparked controversy, particularly after the US and Israel attacked Iran. The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) urged the government to withdraw from the BoP in response to the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran on Saturday, 28 February 2026.
MUI stated that the United States, which is playing a central role in managing the Palestinian conflict through the Board of Peace, faces a major question. MUI questioned whether the strategy is aimed at a just peace or simply reinforces an inequitable security architecture that buries Palestine’s independence.
‘Thus, MUI urges the Indonesian government to withdraw from the BoP because it is perceived to be ineffective in realising true independence for Palestine,’ MUI said in a sermon issued on Sunday, 1 March 2026, cited from a statement on MUI’s official website.
Editor’s note: Ervana Trikarinaputri contributed to this article.