When Kaesang Was Called "Gus" During Visit to NU Jakarta Leadership

Jakarta — Kaesang Pangarep, chairman of the Indonesia Solidarity Party (PSI), and party officials visited the residence of KH Muhiddin Ishaq, head of the Religious Council of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) for Jakarta, in Cipete, South Jakarta, on Friday evening, 27 February 2026.

Kaesang was accompanied by several other PSI leaders, including Ahmad Ali, Raja Juli Antoni, and Isyana Bagoes Oka. After the courtesy visit, Ishaq invited the PSI delegation to Miftahul Ulum Islamic Boarding School, which he oversees near his residence.

During the visit, Ishaq addressed Kaesang with the term “Gus”—a traditional Javanese title of respect commonly used in pesantren (Islamic boarding school) circles as a form of address for the son of a religious scholar. “We have an extraordinary guest this evening—a young party chairman. I called him ‘Gus’. Why? Because his father-in-law’s wife is deputy chair of NU’s Women’s Wing in Jakarta,” Ishaq said.

Kaesang responded by expressing gratitude for the advice and counsel he received. “Once again, we from PSI express our thanks for all the advice and input. With your permission, sir, we may visit frequently to seek guidance,” he said.

Following the event, Ahmad Ali, PSI’s daily chairman, stated that the visit to NU Jakarta’s leadership represented part of the party’s effort to engage religious scholars as mentors for its cadres. He noted that the visit coincided with Ramadan, and that PSI was focusing on spiritual activities whilst stepping back from political noise.

“However, people will inevitably see this as a political activity. That is their prerogative to judge. Politics cannot be separated from social activities, so they go hand in hand,” Ali explained. He emphasised that PSI remained committed to its founding principle of not exploiting religion as a political tool.