President Gives Advice to Prabowo-Hatta Pair

Jakarta (Antara) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has given five pieces of advice to presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and his running mate, Hatta Rajasa, in case they are elected later. "I have a moral obligation to remind them of them," he said, when receiving the pair at his private residence in Cikeas, Bogor, West Java, here on Friday evening as reported live by TVOne. President Yudhoyono said he had received a letter from the Prabowo-Hatta duo on Friday morning requesting a meeting with him at Cikeas, and so it was his obligation to receive them. In this connection, he admitted that he had prepared some advice, which might be useful for all presidential and vice presidential candidates and the good of the state. He said he did not intend to teach them but only wished to impart what he had experienced and believed as a president during the last ten years. "I wished to share my experience and God willing it will be useful," he said. President Yudhoyono said, firstly, if Prabowo and Hatta were elected later, they must be patient, strong, and tough because this is the era of freedom and democracy and so, people are critical. In case of shortcomings, he said, usually it will be the president, vice president, ministers, and other officials in the government who will become the target of criticism. Secondly, he said, as a government, they must continue to work and exert efforts despite criticisms and blames. Thirdly, they must always put the interest of the people above the interests of political parties, groups, or families. "They might be tempted and allured a lot, but they must be strong and uninfluenced," he said. Fourthly, he said, if they were elected later, they must protect and love all the people, including those who did not vote for them. "Leaders, when they are not elected, may not hold a protracted grudge and hard feelings. All of them will be our people whom we must lead fairly," he said. Fifthly, he said, Indonesia has chosen to be a democratic country, although it has not yet been perfect because it is still under consolidation and maturity process but despite all these, democracy and freedom must always be upheld. "I am confident you will respect democratic values," he said. The twin targets are, he said, to create a stable political condition for the sake of economic growth while respecting democratic values. On the occasion, Prabowo expressed thanks and appreciation as well as respect to the president for all the works and policies that he had carried out so far. (*) Reported by Muhammad Razi Rahman