Jakarta — Leaders from major religious organizations met with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at the Merdeka Palace on Monday (Sept. 1), discussing a wide range of issues including taxation, corruption, and the behavior of public officials. The meeting, described as open and candid, was attended by representatives from PBNU, PGI, MATAKIN, Wahdah Islamiyah, and the Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia.

Jacklevyn Frits Manuputty, chairman of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI), said the dialogue was held in a spirit of transparency, with participants directly raising public concerns to the president.

“In the meeting, we spoke very openly and transparently, because the President himself spoke frankly about what he feels and sees. We talked about taxes that burden the people, about corruption, about arrogance and the behavior of elites—such as flexing and other excesses,” Manuputty said.

He added that the issue of higher allowances for parliament members was also addressed.

“We also raised the matter of increased parliamentary allowances, since the Speaker of the House was present. The President, along with the Speaker, responded to ensure this will be managed properly going forward,” he said.

Manuputty noted that Prabowo pledged to push forward the passage of the long-debated Asset Seizure Bill.

Aspirations Heard and Followed Up

Yahya Cholil Staquf, chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU), stressed that the aspirations of society were heard directly by the President.

“The hopes and demands were conveyed to the President in today’s lengthy meeting. The President appears to have already heard and understood many of them. Beyond answering the questions, he also demonstrated that steps are already being taken, not only by the President but also by other state institutions, including parliament,” Yahya said.

He emphasized the commitment of religious leaders to help calm society.

“What we hope now is that the fulfillment of these public expectations will be shown more clearly so that people can feel reassured. At the same time, we, as religious leaders, are ready to contribute in guiding our congregations and society at large toward calm,” he said.

Wahdah Islamiyah chairman Ustaz Zaitun Rasmin underlined that the initiative for the meeting came from the organizations themselves, not from the President.

“It was our initiative, in fact, discussed months ago at PBNU and Muhammadiyah headquarters. Originally, we wanted to meet the President to discuss the genocide in Gaza. But with recent developments at home, we felt even more strongly that we needed to meet him. We still conveyed our concerns about Palestine, but most of the discussion centered on the situation in our own country,” Zaitun explained.

He also conveyed condolences to victims of recent demonstrations.

“We expressed our deepest sympathies to all those who lost their lives or were injured in the demonstrations, as well as to those who suffered economic losses,” he said.

Meanwhile, Wisnu Bawa Tenaya, chairman of Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia, delivered a moral message through the values of panca satya.

“First, satya heraya: listen to your conscience and the voice of the people. Second, satya wacana: guard your words—your mouth can be your tiger. Third, satya semaya: promises must be kept. Fourth, satya mitra: let us build friendship and synergy across religious organizations. And finally, satya laksana: always do your best,” he said.

He urged the President to have the courage to act firmly against powerful wrongdoers, not only the weak, and called on the nation to safeguard unity through prayer.

“Let us stand united, trust in Almighty God, and continue to pray for Indonesia’s peace and prosperity. Let us declare: ‘Indonesia united,’ let us pray: ‘Indonesia prosperous,’ and let us pledge: ‘Indonesia everlasting,’” Wisnu concluded.