Jokowi, Prabowo Meeting Extraordinary Encounter: Former Moderator

Jakarta (Antara) - The Friday meeting between President-elect Joko Widodo and former presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto was an extraordinary event that moved Indonesia's political life towards a better working environment, former presidential candidate debate moderator Himahanto Yuwono said. "As the moderator of the third round of the presidential candidate debate, I am touched, proud and happy with the meeting," Hikmahanto said here on Saturday. Himahanto is of the view that the two leaders are great statesmen who are able to put aside their respective egoism for the interest of the Unitary State of Indonesia and for the benefit of the people. "Joko Widodo (Jokowi), as the winner of the presidential race, was willing to put aside his egoism to meet Prabowo at a place decided by the latter. For many people, this might be a psychological burden. But Jokowi was able to put it aside for the sake of national reconciliation," he said. The same also happened with Prabowo who, of course, must have felt it was difficult to meet with Jokowi. Moreover, most of his supporters might not yet be able to accept the reality that Jokowi has become the president-elect. But for the sake of the nation and state, Prabowo received Jokowi, and he even greeted him with a military salute. Hikmahanto labeled this encounter as a great event that has to be positively responded to by politicians and the people of Indonesia. The people should not be divided for the sake of the state and nation's life. "This momentum is also very good to iron out grudges which often color the leaders in the state. In the past, hatred among the leaders has served as a stumbling block for Indonesia to advance," he stated. Further, the international law professor from the University of Indonesia is also of the view that the meeting will help smooth the swearing-in of the president-elect on October 20, 2014, thus state officials will be able to carry out their tasks for the glory of Indonesia. On Friday, President-elect Jokowi met with the Gerindra Party's Chief Patron and former presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto. During their meeting, they pledged to create and maintain peace and unity in Indonesia. "We agree to maintain the unity of Indonesia, the nation's ideology Pancasila, and the Constitution," Prabowo remarked after the Friday meeting at his late father's house in Jakarta. Prabowo revealed that he had urged the members of the Gerindra Party, and their coalition parties, to support Jokowi in running the government. However, he emphasized that if the coalition felt that a government policy was not in line with the people's interests, then it would raise objections to it. "Competition in politics is natural, but in the end, we have to remember that all actions must be conducted based upon the people's interests," noted Prabowo. 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. Prabowo and Jokowi met on Friday, at 10 a.m. West Indonesian Time (WIB) for 10 minutes. The meeting was not open for media coverage, but both leaders were willing to issue press statements after the meeting. Jokowi and his running mate Jusuf Kalla are scheduled to be inaugurated as president and vice president of Indonesia on October 20 at the House of Representatives building in South Jakarta. In the presidential election on July 9, 2014, Jokowi won over 53 percent of the votes, while Prabowo received some 47 percent.(*)