On Friday October 17, 2014, the President-elect of Indonesia, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo met with his main rival in July 9, presidential elections, Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta. JIBRIN BABA NDACE writes on the positive impact of the meeting between the two political rivals
The presidential elections held on July 9 2014, were considered as a titanic battle between the old and new order in world third largest democracy and indeed, largest Muslim nation.
And the battle was a straight fight between two political gladiators: one a retired Army General and son of Indonesian’s minister during the Sukarno and Suharto era. General Prabowo Subianto who was married to late President Suharto’s daughter Siti Hediati Hariyadi (Titiek Soeharto) represent the elite and old order.
Prabowo is seen by millions of his supporters as a man with a fatherly figure, who ‘evokes army strength, ‘strong driven’, with ‘an image of decisiveness.’ Subianto has Hatta Rajasa a bureaucrat as his running mate.
And the other, Joko Widodo, considered as an outsider within the status quo, was a former Mayor and then Governor of the nation’s capital, Jakarta. Widodo, often referred to as Indonesia’s Obama for his charisma and face of change, is seen as representing the new order and Indonesian dream.
‘Jokowi’ as he is fondly called by his admirers, is seen by millions of Indonesian voters as a pro-people candidate, who is relates with the ordinary people with ease. He is called the Obama of Indonesia and a face of change and a departure from the old order. Widodo picked a former vice president, Jusuf Kalla as his running mate
According to Indonesian political observers, Indonesians voters were left to choose between two very different men: Jokowi the reformer and Prabowo, representative of an old guard.
Expectedly, about 190 million Indonesians went to the polls on Wednesday, July 9, 2014, the country’s third direct legislative and presidential elections since the political reforms started in 1998, divided.
Thus, Indonesia’s impressive and fledgling democracy faced keener test of its strength than anticipated. The closeness of the apparent margin of victory and the confusion created by the conflicting claims on exit polling and quick count data open the door to deeply problematic possibilities.
In the hours following the close of voting, Jokowi claimed victory based on the now-established Indonesian practice of accurate exit poll surveys and quick counts conducted by the country’s increasingly sophisticated polling industry, which gave Jokowi a 4–5 per cent margin over his rival, Prabowo Subianto.
However, less than an hour later, Mr Prabowo Subianto also claimed victory, based on the reported findings of other polling groups.
Based on the claim by both candidates, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono summoned both presidential candidates for talks.
Despite the call for calm and restraint by the incumbent president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, both candidates continued to advance their claims.
Even though , Jokowi’s win was widely seen as reflecting popular voter support for “new” or “clean” leaders rather than the “old” style of politics in Indonesia, his main rival Prabowo refused to recognize him.
Jokowi was named as the President-elect of Indonesia on 22 July 2014 after being declared the winner of the presidential election winning more than 53% of the vote over Prabowo , who withdrew from the race before the count was completed disputing the outcome.
The refusal of Prabowo to congratulate the president-elects despite official announcement by the Indonesian Electoral Commission led to speculations and heightened tension in the country.
The tension which characterized the pre and post presidential elections period continued up till Friday, October 17, 2014, when the President-elect Widodo met with Prabowo for the first time since he won the elections four month ago.
The move by the two leaders was well received by the media and the Indonesian public. The meeting also led to rebound of Shares in the Indonesian Stock Exchange. Friday’s increase was reported as the highest recorded since July.
“Indonesian financial markets bounced back Friday with the main share price index returning to the 5,000s level following a meeting between president-elect Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and former contender Prabowo Subianto in the July election.”
“The Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) — the main benchmark of the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) — gained 1.6 percent to close at 5,028.94, the first time the index passed the 5,000 level since last Tuesday. The rupiah also strengthened 0.9 percent, the most since July 8, to 12,141, according to prices from local banks gathered by Bloomberg, while government bonds advanced and set for weekly gains.”
At the historic meeting Prabowo and Jokowi told the media that they were committed to maintaining peace and unity in Indonesia.
“We agree to maintain the unity of Indonesia, the nation’s ideology Pancasila, and the Constitution,” Prabowo remarked, adding that “Competition in politics is normal, but in the end, we have to remember that all actions must be conducted based upon the people’s interests.”
Prabowo also called on his sympathizers to support the next administration of president-elect Jokowio, as long as its programs and projects are good for the public.
“I have asked the party that I lead, my friends and loyalists, to support (the administration) of Joko Widodo,” he stated.
But, Prabowo cautioned, if the Jokowi administration makes policies that harm the people, then his party and sympathizers will not hesitate to criticize.
“Thats what I have told him, and that is democracy,”he said after the meeting with Jokowi. He described the meeting as friendly and said he congratulated Jokowi on his presidency.
In the meantime, Jokowi pointed out that he and Prabowo shared a similar vision for the nation. “In the future, if there is something to criticize then we are ready to accept it,” affirmed Jokowi.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) hailed the meeting between President-elect Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo and his rival presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto.
“Jokowi’s meeting with Prabowo today has proved that the two leaders are great Indonesian personalities,” PDI-P’s deputy secretary Ahmad Basarah stated in a text message, as quoted by Antara News.
He noted it was characteristic of great individuals to be responsive toward the development needs of the nation and take initiatives to settle problems.
Ahmad remarked that Jokowi was aware that in three days, he would be the president not only for the Great Indonesia coalition, the PDI-P or Solo, where he came from, but also for the whole of Indonesia.
“His decision to meet political leaders outside the Great Indonesia coalition is proof of his statesmanship and knighthood,” he added.
At the same time, Prabowos willingness to receive Jokowi was an equally smart move, as it demonstrated his statesmanship especially in the midst of rumours about a possible sabotage of Jokowi’s inauguration.
“For Jokowi, the presidential race and parliament leadership elections are over,” he pointed out.
According to Basarah, all state institutions will now follow their duties and responsibilities as prescribed by the 1945 constitution and other laws.
“As a great nation, we must be grateful that our leaders have set a good example for the further development of our democratic system,” he stated.
In the same vein, the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) has lauded the meeting between its General Chairman Prabowo Subianto and President-elect Joko Widodo , stating that it has brought greater harmony in the country’s political situation.
According to the party’s deputy secretary general, Edhy Prabowo, “One thing we have seen is that this meeting has helped build a more harmonious situation in Indonesia.”
He noted that Prabowo Subianto, who was Joko Widodos former rival in the presidential election on July 9, had called on all party cadres and his supporters to accept Joko Widodos election as president.
“The competition is now over. In view of that, he wants Gerindra cadres and his supporters to accept the outcome. Eventually, it is all about how we can live in harmony, how problems can be settled, and how the country can become great,” he affirmed.
Edhy Prabowo emphasized that his camp had, in fact, never fought with Jokowis camp, but he admitted that political competition and fights had occurred.
“Mr Prabowo has offered an apology for the harsh words that had come up, but the competition is now over,” he stated.
Edhy noted that Gerindra will be an opposition party along with the other political parties grouped in the Red-White coalition.
Edhy explained that the meeting between Prabowo Subianto and Joko Widodo that day took place after his conversation with Aria Bima, a politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), who had nominated Joko Widodo as the presidential candidate.
“Bima called me asking why Prabowo would not meet Jokowi. I answered that we have never received an invitation so far. I think Prabowo will not refuse to meet him,” he added.
Also, following the meeting between president-elect Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto — the losing candidate in the July 9 presidential election — has taken another step toward reconciliation by confirming his attendance at Jokowi’s inauguration.
People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker Zulkifli Hasan of the National Mandate Party, said on Saturday that all political party leaders, including Prabowo, had confirmed they would attend the inauguration on Monday at the MPR complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta.
“Pak Prabowo, although he has business to attend overseas, is likely to return late on Sunday so he will be able to come on Monday,” he said after an inauguration rehearsal.
A cross section of Indonesian who spoke with Blueprint expressed their happiness with the two leaders, saying that it was timely and necessary to unite the country, which has been sharply divided since the presidential election. “We are delighted with this meeting. it is a welcome develop. There will only be one president at a time, but Indonesia should be for all Indonesians irrespective of political differences.
Also speaking with Blueprint, Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria, Sudirman Haseng commended President-elect Jokowi and opposition leader Prabowo for taking a statesmanlike step at this crucial period of Indonesian history.
“There have been concerns about the conflict between the two candidates even after the announcement of the results. Their meeting, therefore is a message for their supporters that the elections are over, it is now the future of Indonesia. ”
Haseng called on political leaders of emerging democracies to emulate Jokowi and Prabowo. “It is important for political leaders to emulate the two politicians. They should understand that once elections are over, the concern should be the survival of their countries. ”
