PBNU Congratulates President-Elect Joko Widodo

Jakarta (Antara) - One of Indonesia's largest Islamic organizations Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) on Wednesday has congratulated Joko Widodo and Jusuf Kalla for their official election as president and vice president. "We hope they could carry out the mandate well," the general chairman of the executive board of PBNU, Said Aqil Siroj, said at a press conference attended by other board members, including deputy general chairman As'ad Said Ali, treasurer Bina Suhendra, and chief preacher KH Malik Madani. PBNU meanwhile has appealed to all parties to respect the General Elections Commission's (KPU) decision to name the Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla pair as the winner according to the law and to preserve public peace and tranquility by exercising restraint. "Everyone must be aware that in a competition such as presidential election becoming the winner or loser is normal. The winning camp must not become arrogant, while the losing side must remain confident and continue to participate in the country's development," he said. The Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla pair was declared as the winner of the July 9 election, but hours before the announcement was made, their rival, the Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa pair, had declared their rejection of the implementation of election and withdrew from the remaining process of recapitulation of vote tallies. Said Aqil said that the elected president and vice president were the national leaders of all the citizens, including those who had not voted for them. He said both the Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa and the Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla pairs were national figures to whom people had trusted their mandate through the election. "From them we hope for a role model who will be recorded in the country's history and remembered by future generations," he said. (*)