APSN | Indonesian rivals play nice ahead of inauguration

Home > South-East Asia >> Indonesia

Indonesian rivals play nice ahead of inauguration

Sydney Morning Herald - October 17, 2014

KPK confirms Jokowi's squeaky-clean track record – Jakarta Post. October 15, 2014
Impeachment of country's 7th president unlikely, MPR speaker says – Jakarta Post. October 10, 2014
Mass movement needed to fight forces wanting return to Suharto's New Order dictatorship – Solidarity Net. October 9, 2014
Red-White Coalition prepared to block any Jokowi policy – Jakarta Globe. October 9, 2014
Return of 'old political actors' is boosting opposition – Jakarta Globe. October 9, 2014

Michael Bachelard, Jakarta – Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto on Friday met and for the first time congratulated the winner, Joko Widodo, more than three months after election day.

But the gesture, just days before Mr Joko's inauguration as president on Monday, still does not guarantee easy passage of Mr Joko's agenda through parliament.

Since the July 9 election, the six-party Red and White Coalition controlled by Mr Prabowo and his allies has used its 63 per cent parliamentary majority to pass a number of laws apparently aimed at damaging Mr Joko.

One abolished direct elections for regional and local leaders – a forum where Mr Joko made his political start – and another allowed the coalition to stack their loyalists into almost every key parliamentary post.

But on Friday the pair met at Mr Prabowo's father's house in Jakarta and, after a 15-minute meeting, emerged smiling to cool widespread fears that ongoing antagonism between them would prevent Mr Joko, known by his nickname Jokowi, from governing effectively.

"I congratulated Mr Jokowi, who will be inaugurated as Indonesian president on [Monday]," Mr Prabowo said. "I told him I believe that he is a patriot, and also that I believed from the bottom of our heart that we share the same values".

Among these, he said, were the unity of the Republic of Indonesia, the founding state ideology of Pancasila, the 1945 constitution and "unity in diversity".

"Therefore I said that the party I lead, also my friends, my supporters, I will tell them to support Joko Widodo and his administration," Mr Prabowo said.

It's a significant concession by the former army strongman who has until now resisted any attempts at reconciliation or congratulation.

The fact that Mr Joko came to see Mr Prabowo at his home is significant: outgoing president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his predecessor, Megawati Sukarnoputri, maintained a 10-year feud after he defeated her in 2004, partly over protocol issues of who would visit whom.

Ordinary Indonesians, who have feared paralysis at the top, immediately welcomed the gesture. However Mr Prabowo vowed to remain as an active opposition force, and did not guarantee the new president an easy ride.

"If there are things we see as not bringing advantage for the country and people, we will not hesitate to criticise them, making corrections," Mr Prabowo said. "Political fights are only normal. Often we may utter strong rhetoric but at the end it's all for the public good, the safety of our people and country."

Mr Joko agreed they shared the same values and goals. "If there are things need to be criticised in the future in our administration, I said I am prepared," Mr Joko said. "It is necessary in state management."

The pair also joked about Mr Prabowo's invitation to Mr Joko to come to his country house, Hambalang, and sing. Mr Joko replied: "I thank him for still inviting me to go there. But as for singing, I'm sorry I cannot fulfil that because I can't sing".

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/indonesian-rivals-play-nice-ahead-of-inauguration-20141017-117v4k.html.