EduAsiaNews, Bandung — The Council of Professors and academic community of Universitas Padjadjaran (Unpad) have urged the government to immediately conduct a comprehensive evaluation of Indonesia’s membership in the Board of Peace (BoP) and to review the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade signed with the United States. The call was formally issued through a document titled Seruan Padjadjaran (Padjadjaran Declaration), Thursday (5/3/2026).
Academics from one of Indonesia’s most prominent public universities expressed deep concern over the direction of the country’s foreign policy, which they believe risks straying from the free and active principle that has served as the cornerstone of Indonesian diplomacy since independence. They specifically highlighted President Prabowo Subianto’s decision to join the Board of Peace and the signing of a trade agreement with Washington, both of which they consider potentially detrimental to national interests.
Condemnation of Military Aggression
Beyond foreign policy, the Unpad Council of Professors also voiced sharp condemnation of Israel’s military aggression against Iran, carried out with United States backing. The attack was characterized as an extreme escalation that violates the norms of international law and threatens regional stability.
“An attack on a sovereign state constitutes an extreme escalation that violates international law, threatens regional stability, and heightens the risk of a broader regional conflict,” reads the statement, as quoted on Saturday (7/3/2026). “If such practices are left unchecked, the rules-based international order will lose both its moral and juridical legitimacy.”
The professors also extended their condolences over the deaths of several Iranian leaders and the civilian casualties resulting from the strike. In their view, the tragedy sets a dangerous precedent in international relations, as it risks normalizing the political assassination of heads of state, a grave violation of the principles of sovereignty and national dignity.
Demands to the Government and Parliament
In the Padjadjaran Declaration, the academics called on the government to act firmly and consistently in upholding the mandate of the Preamble to the 1945 Constitution, which affirms that colonialism must be abolished and that Indonesia bears a responsibility to contribute to a world order founded on independence, lasting peace, and social justice.
“Therefore, the president must immediately undertake a comprehensive evaluation of Indonesia’s membership in the BoP,” the statement reads.
To the House of Representatives, the academics also called for a rigorous and critical review of the far-reaching implications of the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade, as well as the consequences of Indonesia’s membership in the Board of Peace for the country’s diplomatic posture and economic sovereignty.
At the global level, the declaration was also directed at the United Nations and the international community, urging an immediate halt to all forms of military aggression and the promotion of conflict resolution through diplomatic channels, in accordance with the principles of international law.
The Padjadjaran Declaration was signed by Unpad Council of Professors Chairman Atwar Bajari, Academic Senate Chairman Yoni Syukriani, Council of Professors Secretary Iman Hernaman, and Academic Senate Secretary Sriwidodo. (**)
