Monday-Thursday Discussions Increasingly Attended by Friends and Relatives of GMRI
Author: Jacob Ereste
Freelance Journalist
The weekly discussion held Monday-Thursday, October 13, 2025, at the GMRI (Indonesian Moral Reconciliation Movement) secretariat was somewhat special. It not only began with a delicious bite of snapper head curry, but also included a number of friends and relatives of GMRI, including Edy Mulyadi, a senior journalist who actively manages the renowned Forum News Network (FNN) news portal, which has been fiercely active in exposing various cases undermining the country. Then there were the Mas Mamok group from Solo, and Guntur from Yogyakarta, as well as the Kalibata group represented by Joyo Yudhantoro, Baladi, and Muhammad Jafar. Meanwhile, Father Biyos Abiyoso, who has been a regular participant, recently reappeared after several absences due to his busy schedule. The Monday-Thursday or Thursday-Monday discussion program tends to be more casual, with spontaneous topics emerging, such as trending topics like the Free Nutritious Meals program, which is increasingly drawing public criticism. The MBG’s implementation is not sufficiently popular, as it still requires each group to provide a minimum of 3,000 portions, a requirement that only entrepreneurs with substantial capital can afford.
Furthermore, the issue of child poisoning from consuming MBG has also drawn attention, as there are well-founded allegations of sabotage in the MBG program, which continues to occur in various locations and regions.
The regular Monday-Thursday or Thursday-Monday discussion program, hosted by the Indonesian Spiritual Representative, Sri Eko Sriyanto Galgendu, is fully supported by Wowok Prastowo, who is extremely agile and responsive in preparing everything needed for the discussion. The signature drink, beras kencur (rice ginger drink), which is said to be refreshing, has become a regular feature of the discussion, which almost always ends close to midnight.
Sri Eko Sriyanto Galgendu also shared stories of supernatural experiences during his time with Susuhunan Paku Buwono XII during his Mukin period in Solo, leading to a kind of “palilah” (inspiration) to continue the ideas shared with Gus Dur and Prof. Dr. (Hc) Muhammad Habib Khirzin. He also shared his experiences at the “Great Council of the Universe” held in Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta, with the main focus being on addressing the “Jongko Jangka Ning Jagat” (The Great Council of the Universe), attended by the ancestors and rulers of the archipelago during its heyday.
Regarding a strong nation, according to Sri Eko Sriyanto Galgendu, it implements all predetermined programs. Therefore, a strong nation and state—as has been demonstrated by a number of neighboring countries—is based on spiritual strength, he emphasized. The end of the golden age of the “Islamic Mataram” kingdom is evident in the end of the glory of various Islamic kingdoms in the archipelago, as we can witness today. Because, from a Javanese spiritual perspective, the end of a great kingdom like Mataram was indeed a historical cycle and a sign of the birth of a new government system with a more universal spiritual character and attitude.
Therefore, the sign of the end of Islamic Mataram, from a spiritual perspective, was not the collapse of power, but rather a moment of transition to purer and more personal spiritual practices that were no longer tied to royal symbols, because sovereignty had been agreed upon as belonging to the people. This means that the end of the golden age of Islamic Mataram marked the completion of a phase of traditional Islamic spiritual-political civilization, transitioning into a modern spiritual-political one that will be pursued by the current generation, who are immersed in the fast-paced digital technology space. Thus, the spiritual transformation that once existed within the royal structure is now beginning to take the form of cultural practices oriented towards the spirituality of the community, including traditional practices, spirituality, and Islamic boarding school education, which are becoming increasingly popular and popular among the community.
In this context, the spiritual experience Sri Eko Sriyanto Galgendu had at a pesantren in Tulung Agung, East Java, under the care of Mbah Jalil, became unforgettable. He received a special meal consisting of 100 portions of food prepared by Kyai Jalil himself, without any assistance from anyone else. Therefore, these 100 portions of various dishes were clearly supernatural in nature. **
Pecenongan, October 13, 2025
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