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View all search resultsAs opposition falters, Kalla emerges as bridge between critics, power
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Former vice president Jusuf Kalla (center) is greeted by State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi (left) and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya (right) as he arrives on March 3 at the Palace for a Ramadan dinner with President Prabowo Subianto and a number of former presidents and vice presidents. (Antara/Bayu Pratama S.)
I
n a political landscape where President Prabowo Subianto’s administration faces scant opposition, a familiar elder statesman has stepped in from the sidelines of power to fill the gap, bridging alternative voices and decision makers to ensure diverse perspectives are heard by the government.
That figure is former vice president Jusuf Kalla, an 83-year businessman-turned-politician, who served two terms under former presidents Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and continues to wield significant influence across the country’s political, business and diplomatic networks.
A former chairman of the country’s oldest party Golkar and longtime leader of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), Kalla built his reputation as a pragmatic problem solver and crisis mediator, playing key roles in brokering peace in some of Indonesia’s most difficult conflicts, such as Aceh and Poso.
Despite leaving public office years ago, Kalla has become the go-to figure for various groups and individuals seeking input or expressing concerns about government policies and decisions.
This has been increasingly visible over the past two weeks, as public unease grew over Jakarta’s muted response to the United States-Israeli military strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, with the government refraining from condemning the attacks or identifying an initial aggressor.
On the third day of the war, Iranian ambassador Mohammad Boroujerdi visited Kalla at his private residence in Jakarta, expressing hope for support from Muslim communities in Indonesia. At the time Boroujerdi had yet to meet any officials from the Prabowo administration.
Iran’s reaching out to Kalla first reflects the former vice president’s global reputation for conflict mediation and his ability to operate outside the constraints of formal state bureaucracy, international relations analyst Teuku Rezasyah told The Jakarta Post.
