Republic Conference Held Online, Produces Three Mandates
The Republic Conference proceeded with a civil society consolidation forum despite a previous cancellation. The forum took place in an online format, attended by more than 200 participants from hundreds of civil society organisations who remained throughout the event, along with up to 150 participants attending in person in Central Jakarta.
After nearly five hours of discussion, the forum agreed on three mandates that will underpin the next steps: a shared platform, an organising design, and the formation of a pioneering board.
Chairman of the Republic Conference, Sudirman Said, expressed gratitude for the energy that emerged during the forum and noted that the enthusiasm did not wane at all despite the event facing some dynamics. “If we reflect on the previous Republic Conference in Yogyakarta, this forum was no less extraordinary,” Sudirman Said stated in a written release on Sunday, 28 June 2026.
According to him, widespread unease in various places is the reason people from seven generations gathered, and that momentum requires public space to discuss public issues. “This is to remind us that this republic does not belong to any individual,” he said.
Vice Chairwoman Jaleswari Pramodhawardhani asserted that the cancellation of the event did not breed pessimism. “Today, a republic without citizens is so palpable,” she said. According to Jaleswari, the conversation was deliberately opened in the public sphere, not in a closed room, so that ideas which are actually interconnected can be structured together and concretised into action.
She stressed that the discussion did not stop at summarising commonalities but also nurtured differences, by emphasising what is important and setting aside what is less important. “It is not just enthusiasm, but how much we love Indonesia,” she said.
Meanwhile, Secretary General of the Republic Conference, Yanuar Nugroho, explained the first two outcomes of the forum. The platform serves as a way to unite many different parties, while the organising design takes the form of a network connecting many actors from different backgrounds under a shared goal, rather than a central structure with branches.
He described how similar unease is emerging among students, professionals, and young people, and this network is intended to connect them. “You are not alone,” Yanuar said. The leadership envisioned is institutional, carried out collectively, and grounded in values. He assessed that the public has been left too long with pragmatic and egocentric leadership, and this forum proposes an alternative.