SBY and JK Pay Condolences at Ministry of Defence, Sjafrie Leads Juwono's Funeral

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Indonesia’s sixth president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), and the tenth and twelfth vice presidents, M Jusuf Kalla, joined the mourning at the lying-in-state of Prof Juwono Sudarsono, Minister of Defence from 2004-2009, in the Silent Room of the Ministry of Defence (Kemenhan), Central Jakarta, on Sunday (29/3/2026). Purnomo Yusgiantoro, who served as Defence Minister from 2009-2014, was also present. SBY arrived at the Ministry of Defence at 10.10 WIB alone, while Jusuf Kalla (JK) had visited earlier around 09.30 WIB. Juwono served as Defence Minister during the SBY-JK administration. “We have lost one of the nation’s finest sons, the late Prof Dr Juwono Sudarsono. I knew the late personally,” said SBY when interviewed after paying condolences. SBY recalled that Juwono was a Defence Minister who contributed to modernising Indonesia’s defence forces. He regarded Juwono as an outstanding figure with a civilian background. “One of the things we considered back then with Mr Juwono and later with Mr Purnomo Yusgiantoro as Defence Ministers was how Indonesia could have a National Defence University,” said SBY. In addition to those two figures, several members of President Prabowo Subianto’s cabinet also paid condolences, including Prof Abdul Mu’ti, Minister of Basic and Secondary Education (Mendikdasmen), and Silmy Karim, Deputy Minister of Immigration and Corrections. After the lying-in-state ceremony concluded, Deputy Defence Minister Donny Ermawan directly led the funeral procession for burial at Kalibata Heroes’ Cemetery (TMP), South Jakarta.