TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The notion upon having rivaling presidential candidates Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Prabowo Subianto under one government administration was mentioned by an Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) politician, Maruarar Sirait.

Maruarar said that both rivals have maintained a sense of friendship despite going against each other in the 2019 presidential election.

“It is not impossible to see Jokowi and Prabowo under one same administration prior to the presidential election,” said Maruarar at the Pulau Dua Restaurant in Jakarta yesterday, December 30.

The PDIP politician recalled the 2014 presidential election, where despite Prabowo’s loss and attempt to file a report to the Constitutional Court (MK), the former Kopassus general eventually attended Jokowi’s presidential inauguration.

“With a huge heart Prabowo attended the inauguration at the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and that was hugely respected by Jokowi,” said Maruarar who also gave an example of both men’s encounters following the 2014 presidential election.

The PDIP politician maintains that both Jokowi and Prabowo exhibited a great example of a nation’s unity and diversity in the wake of the 2019 presidential election. Maruarar called for the public to preserve unity and avoid bringing up sensitive SARA (ethnicity, religion, and race) issues in the presidential campaigns.

BUDIARTI UTAMI PUTRI