Bulukumba News – The night is still young in Manhattan, New York City, United States when the building lights reflect on the glass windows of apartments that face a street that never really sleeps. From that room, Dr. Shamsi Ali opened the conversation about Indonesia—thousands of kilometers away, but still close to her heart.
The conversation flowed towards one name, which according to the diaspora from Bulukumba, has an important trace in the nation’s history: Jusuf Kalla.
“Indonesia actually owes a debt of gratitude to Pak JK,” said Shamsi Ali in a virtual talk on Tuesday, April 21 2026.
For this diaspora cleric who has lived in the United States for a long time, this statement is not empty praise. He called it the conclusion of a long journey of witnessing how major conflicts in Indonesia have ended at the peace table.
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Traces of the peacemaker from Maluku to Poso
According to Shamsi Ali, one of Jusuf Kalla’s greatest contributions to the nation was his success in reducing communal conflicts in various regions of Indonesia at the beginning of the Reformation era.
He remembered how bloody conflict hit Maluku in the late 1990s. Tensions between Muslim and Christian groups sparked violence that claimed thousands of lives and destroyed long-established social relations.
A similar situation also occurred in Poso. The conflict, which initially had a local scale, developed into a security crisis that had the potential to spread to various regions in Sulawesi.
In a situation like that, said Shamsi Ali, Jusuf Kalla came up with a different approach from just security policy.
“He didn’t just rely on state power. He chose dialogue, rebuilding mutual trust,” he said.
At that time, Jusuf Kalla served as Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare. He was directly involved in various reconciliation processes which later became known as the peace agreements in Maluku and Poso.
For Shamsi Ali, this success not only stopped violence, but also saved the future of a community that had almost lost hope.
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Aceh and Indonesian peace diplomacy
However, for many observers, Jusuf Kalla’s greatest achievement was the success of resolving the long conflict in Aceh.
The conflict between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement has been going on for decades. Thousands of victims fell, and tensions between the center and the regions became increasingly sharp.
According to Shamsi Ali, the success of the Aceh peace process shows political diplomacy skills that are rarely possessed by many figures.
“He succeeded in convincing the separatist groups to return within the framework of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia,” he said.
The peace agreement signed in Helsinki in 2005 was an important milestone in modern Indonesian history. The long-standing armed conflict finally stopped, and Aceh entered a new phase of development.
For Shamsi Ali, this incident showed the quality of leadership who was brave enough to take political risks for the sake of peace.
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Silent diplomacy on the international stage
Shamsi Ali also recalled his personal experience when Jusuf Kalla tried to bring together various warring factions in Afghanistan.
He was even invited to an international ulama meeting at the Bogor Palace which brought together ulama from Indonesia, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Even though it did not produce a concrete agreement, for Shamsi Ali, this effort remains part of Indonesia’s humanitarian diplomacy.
“It shows that he doesn’t only think about Indonesia, but also world peace,” he said.
Apart from Afghanistan, Shamsi Ali also mentioned Jusuf Kalla’s role in encouraging peaceful dialogue in Southern Thailand and the conflict in Mindanao involving the Moro group.***
