TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo teased NasDem Party chairman Surya Paloh about the meeting with the chair of the opposition party PKS Sohibul Iman last week. He made the remark during his speech on the 55th-anniversary ceremony of the Golkar Party today, November 6.

“If we look at Bapak Surya Paloh tonight, he seems to be brighter than usual after meeting with Pak Sohibul Iman at PKS [headquarters],” said the President at Sultan Hotel, Jakarta, Wednesday, November 6.

According to Widodo, Surya Paloh’s appearance looked brighter since the NasDem chair had a warm hug with Sohibul. He deemed that the hug was different.

“I don’t know about the meaning [of the hug], but that was not a usual one. I have never been hugged like that,” said the former governor of Jakarta.

Jokowi recalled that he had asked Surya about the meeting when they were in the waiting room considering NasDem was still in the government coalition. However, Surya refused to comment and said he would explain it at the other time.

Surya Paloh and Sohibul Iman met on Wednesday, October 30, at the PKS headquarter on Jalan TB Simatupang, South Jakarta. During the session, the two showed their close relationship by giving each other a warm hug.

NasDem executive board chairman Willy Aditya, meanwhile, explained three agreements from the meeting of his party chair and PKS leader; first, having mutual respect for each other’s position in the government; second, practicing good deeds in giving a public statement; third, agreed to maintain the value of Pancasila and combat radicalism and intolerance.

AHMAD FAIZ IBNU SANI