Indonesia, Malaysia Strengthen Cultural Diplomacy through Madani Malindo Forum

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Ministry of Culture, through the Malaysian Embassy, received a delegation from the Malaysia-Indonesia Madani Scholars Assembly (Madani Malindo) 2 in Jakarta. The meeting brought together scholars, ulema, Islamic organizations, and academics to strengthen cultural and civilizational dialogue between Malaysia and Indonesia.

Indonesian Minister of Culture Fadli Zon said the meeting was an important part of expanding cooperation as well as cultural diplomacy between the two countries. According to him, Indonesia and Malaysia have long-standing cultural ties and a history of civilization that can serve as a foundation for closer relations.

"We hope that scholars will continue to build a shared culture and civilization through open, peaceful, and sustainable dialogue for progress. Indonesia has a diverse and ancient culture, serving as a meeting place for various traditions that have shaped a tolerant and cooperative society," he said while attending the Welcoming Dinner for the Malaysia-Indonesia Madani Scholars Assembly at the National Awakening Museum, Central Jakarta, on Thursday evening, August 20, 2026.

He said these cultural values also helped shape Pancasila, which serves as a shared guide in the national and state life of Indonesia. He appreciated Muslim scholar Din Syamsuddin, Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM), higher education institutions, professors, and ulema who contributed to the cultural forum.

He hoped the results of the Madani Malindo dialogue could be shared more widely to strengthen understanding of shared culture and civilization. The cooperation is expected to open opportunities for the exchange of ideas while strengthening relations between Indonesian and Malaysian communities through sustainable culture.

"We welcome this and appreciate Din Syamsuddin, who has always shown concern for advancing culture and civilization in Indonesia. Hopefully, we can also share the results later," he added.

Muslim scholar Din Syamsuddin said Madani Malindo serves as a meeting platform for Malaysian and Indonesian scholars to discuss the concept of a madani state. The meeting previously took place in Kuala Lumpur and has now entered its second meeting, held in Jakarta this year.

He explained that the forum discussed various aspects of the madani state concept initiated by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Scholars have an important role in providing critical assessments while jointly developing the philosophical and theological foundations of the concept.

"Scholars are tasked with critically examining the concept of a madani state, while jointly establishing strong philosophical and theological foundations. We also want to discuss cultural strategies so that the idea of a madani state can be realized through concrete and sustainable joint actions," he explained.

According to him, discussions on Madani-Malindo are also directed toward strengthening cultural values as an important part of building community life. He said cultural strategies need to be developed so that the concept of a madani state does not remain merely an idea, but becomes a joint movement.

"For Indonesia, the Pancasila state is essentially a madani state that needs to be continuously strengthened through shared national values. We want to develop this idea in the region, and it is even possible that it could become a global reference in addressing the deterioration of civilization today," he concluded. (Diffa Sephiawardhani-EN)