REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SURABAYA -- Former vice-president Jusuf Kalla said on Friday there should be more to a leader than honesty.

"Indeed a leader must be honest but honesty alone is not enough. He also has to have knowledge of problems," he told students of the state Airlangga University here during a dialogue.

Kalla said a leader must also act as a statesman and "a statesman sees not only one or two years ahead but a generation or 20-30 years ahead".

A leader, he noted, also may not be dependent on foreign countries. "A leader need not seek permission from another country but needs permission of the people who choose him," the head of the Indonesian Red Cross and chief of the Indonesia Mosque Council said.

Kalla warned that the forecast that Indonesia would become an advanced country in the next 20-30 years would be meaningless unless the nation started acting now.

"The nation's priorities are not only politics but also economy, law, education and culture," he remarked.

Kalla was recently approached by the National Awakening Party (PKB) to run for president under its banner.

He appreciated the offer but said his visit to the Sunan Ampel mosque earlier was not related to next year's presidential election.

Kalla said the PKB's move had nothing to do with Golkar, which he once headed, either. "I would not leave Golkar," he said.

Chairman of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) Irman Gusman, who also attended the dialogue, urged the students to elect a leader in next year's elections who will serve the people.

"The transition (in the country) must be stopped and therefore, elect a leader who serves people. Do not be swayed by promises," he said.

President of the Association of Indonesian Provincial Governments Syahrul Yasin Limpo, meanwhile, called upon the people not to be wrong in electing their next national leader to avoid facing more problems.

President of the Association of Heads of Districts in Indonesia Irsan Noor said "elect a leader who prioritizes human resources and research, so that we will advance".

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