Two-Hour Meeting with Megawati: What the Nurani Bangsa Movement Discussed
A number of national figures who are members of the Gerakan Nurani Bangsa (GNB) met with Indonesia’s 5th President and PDIP Chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri. The meeting, titled ‘National Gathering’, took place at the Megawati Institute in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Monday (22/6/2026) and lasted for two hours, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. WIB.
One of the figures, Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, stated that the meeting was intended to strengthen ties while discussing various current national issues. ‘This meeting has actually been planned for quite some time because GNB has an agenda to visit national figures, especially those who have been entrusted with the mandate of President and Vice President,’ Lukman told reporters after the meeting.
Lukman revealed that this meeting is part of GNB’s regular agenda. Previously, GNB had met with Indonesia’s 6th President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), the 10th and 12th Vice President Jusuf Kalla (JK), and the 13th Vice President KH Ma’ruf Amin. ‘The purpose of GNB meeting Ibu Megawati this time, besides maintaining and preserving our relationship, is equally importantly to share information regarding the situation and conditions of our societal life, including governance and national life,’ Lukman explained.
The former Minister of Religious Affairs explained that the group brought a number of public aspirations to discuss with Megawati as a senior figure with extensive experience. ‘We conveyed a number of pieces of information and at the same time we wanted to get confirmation from Ibu Megawati,’ said Lukman. ‘So it was like a meeting between a parent and her children, or among those who have been entrusted with steering the wheels of government in safeguarding and nurturing our national life,’ he continued.
On the same occasion, the Archbishop of Jakarta, Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo, stressed the importance of meetings between national figures to maintain clarity of thought in statecraft. Suharyo noted that conscience must also be continuously sharpened. ‘This movement calls itself the Gerakan Nurani Bangsa. Conscience can become dull if it is never sharpened. Therefore, when we gather, discuss, and exchange ideas, our hope is that our conscience within the Gerakan Nurani Bangsa itself becomes sharper and clearer, so we can see reality properly and correctly. Not with emotion, not with vested interests, but purely for the sake of our nation,’ said Suharyo.
Meanwhile, former PGI Chairman Reverend Gomar Gultom observed a shared concern between GNB and Megawati regarding the nation’s current direction. ‘It appears the concerns grappled with by the Gerakan Nurani Bangsa are the same as those of the national figures we have already met, including Ibu Megawati just now,’ he said.
On another note, former Deputy Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Laode M. Syarif, revealed that one of the topics discussed was criticism of the current law-making process. According to him, recent legislative processes have lacked adequate public involvement. ‘One example is the current legislative process. It is almost without sufficient public consultation. Even what is voiced by the public is not reflected in the laws produced by the DPR and the government,’ Laode stated.
Laode cited the revision of the Police Law as a legal product that is considered to have insufficiently accommodated input from the Police Reform Commission established by President Prabowo Subianto. ‘For example, the revision of the Police Law. It did not accommodate all the recommendations provided by the Reform Commission at all. So things like that, in my opinion, were discussed,’ said Laode. ‘Therefore, we also ask the parliament and the government to please pay attention to what the public is voicing,’ he concluded.
Among the figures present at the meeting were the wife of Indonesia’s 4th President, Ibu Nyai Sinta Nuriyah Wahid, Ignatius Cardinal Suharyo, Reverend Gomar Gultom, Father Franz Magnis Suseno SJ, Karlina R. Supelli, Laode M. Syarif, and Lukman Hakim Saifuddin. Also in attendance were Beka Ulung Hapsara, Andi Widjajanto, Francisia Seda, and Yanuar Nugroho.