Zulhas comments on calls for Indonesia to withdraw from the Board of Peace

Zulkifli Hasan, the chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), has responded to calls for Indonesia to exit the Board of Peace (BoP). President Prabowo Subianto, who is backed by PAN, previously oversaw Indonesia’s joining the BoP, described as an international body established by United States President Donald Trump. According to Zulkifli, Prabowo has not ruled out leaving the BoP; “Leaving the BoP has already been communicated by the President, whenever, it is possible,” he said, while en route to a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday, 4 March 2026.

Zulkifli declined to disclose PAN’s position on the calls for Indonesia to withdraw from the BoP, noting, “I handle food,” referring to his role as Coordinating Minister for Food. He is a former trade minister in the Jokowi era.

In addition, Zulkifli discussed a meeting between President Prabowo and several former presidents and vice presidents, along with party chairmen, on Tuesday night, 3 March 2026. Prabowo invited the figures to the Presidential Palace for a dinner and discussion.

Zulkifli, who attended the forum, said the discussions focused on current geopolitical conditions. He claimed the participants, including former presidents, supported Prabowo’s stance on international politics: “In facing geopolitics, such as the US-Israel attack on Iran, we must be vigilant, the President’s views on the BoP, and so on.”

Indonesia’s membership of the BoP has previously sparked controversy, notably after the United States and Israel attacked Iran. One call for withdrawal came from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), which urged the government to exit the BoP in response to the US-Israel strike on Iran on Saturday, 28 February 2026.

The MUI has said the United States, playing a central role in managing the Palestine conflict via the BoP, faces major questions. The council questions whether the strategy is aimed at genuine peace or merely strengthens an unequal security architecture and undermines Palestinian independence.

“Therefore, the MUI urges the Indonesian government to withdraw membership from the BoP as it is deemed ineffective in realising true independence for Palestine,” MUI said in a Tausiyah released on Sunday, 1 March 2026, quoted from the council’s official website.

Ervana Trikarinaputri contributed to the writing of this article.

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