Sudirman Said: We Must Strengthen Intrinsic Leadership

Jakarta – VIVA. A cross-sector and cross-generational group of figures held a strategic meeting with Jusuf Kalla, the 10th and 12th Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia, on Saturday, 7 March 2026. The meeting at JK’s residence served as a convergence point for activists, academics, bureaucrats, and businesspeople to dissect the direction of the nation and voice concern over a leadership crisis gripping the country.

Sudirman Said emphasised that the discussion emerged from deep concern about the declining moral standards of leaders. As someone who has spent three decades in leadership education, the Rector of Harkat Negeri University sees a fatal vacuum in intrinsic leadership.

“What is missing is intrinsic leadership, leadership grounded in noble values such as integrity, vision, competence, wisdom, and the capacity to drive improvement,” said Sudirman Said.

He explained that the gathering aimed to reconnect the heart of power with ethics.

“JK is not defined by a current position, but he possesses intrinsic leadership because of his integrity,” he added.

Meanwhile, Andalas University Law Professor Feri Amsari revealed two main reasons why the figures asked to meet JK through Sudirman Said.

First, JK’s experience as Vice President, party chair, and mediator is considered important to discuss the global leadership crisis so that “diseases” from abroad do not enter the country.

“Repeating the words of Mr JK, a leader must not rely on instinct and immediacy,” Feri asserted.

Second, they want to learn about economic aspects of state administration as material for future improvement.

Critical voices also came from student representatives, UGM’s Student Executive Board Chair Tiyo Ardianto. He emphasised that this meeting is not a political gathering, but a moral gathering of the people as passengers on the big bus called NKRI.

‘The driver is Prabowo, the conductor is Gibran, the crew are ministers; the people as passengers deserve to tell the driver off,’ said Tiyo.

He assessed that Indonesia’s ‘bus’ is already rickety and faces many problems that must be repaired promptly to avoid drifting further from its destination.

In addition to the figures above, the gathering included a wide spectrum of cross-sector and cross-generational figures. From the corporate sector, senior figures Anton J. Supit and William Sabandar (IBC) attended, as did Arief Zulkifli (Tempo CEO).