TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Presidential candidate number one Anies Baswedan has spoken up about the meeting between President Joko Jokowi Widodo and the NasDem Party chairman Surya Paloh at the State Palace. He said the meeting which took place on February 18 was merely a show.

The former governor of Jakarta considered it as a normal event and saw no reason for concern since the meeting was not held in secret.

“If the media finds out about the meeting two or three days later, then it's a serious matter. But if it is widely reported when it even occurs, then it means it's just a show,” Anies said in Mampang, South Jakarta on Tuesday, February 20.

The meeting between the president and the NasDem party leader has been in the public spotlight recently as the two belong to different coalitions in the 2024 presidential election. The NasDem party is part of the Coalition for Change, which endorsed Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar.

Meanwhile, Jokowi’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, is the running mate of presidential candidate number 2 Prabowo Subianto. Several parties have also speculated that Sunday’s meeting was Jokowi's attempt to sway Surya Paloh to join Prabowo's camp.

However, Anies stressed that the parties supporting him and Muhaimin remained solid and were busy planning future strategies through intensive internal meetings. He also admitted that the figures have been making fewer public appearances because the campaign period had ended.

On Feb. 19, President Jokowi claimed that his meeting with Surya Paloh was intended to bridge the gap between all parties following the Feb. 14 election. “I'm actually just a bridge. I want to be a bridge for everyone,” he said after inaugurating a hospital in Bintaro, South Jakarta.

SULTAN ABDURRAHMAN

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