TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The White House said it looks forward to working with the incoming Indonesian administration but stopped short of congratulating Prabowo Subianto on his apparent victory in Indonesia’s presidential election last month.

“We congratulate the Indonesian people on a successful election. The president looks forward to early engagement with the new administration and strengthening our cooperation on what is already a strategic partnership,” said John Kirby, White House National Security Council spokesperson during the White House briefing on Tuesday, as quoted from VOA.

Kirby said the administration is closely following the ongoing vote count. Prabowo is currently commanding a significant lead. With almost 90% of the votes counted, Prabowo holds nearly 59% of the more than 150 million votes.

“We've had excellent cooperation with him since the time he was defense minister, and if he is in fact finally elected, then we look forward to continuing that relationship,” Kirby said.

Until 2020, Prabowo was banned from entering the U.S. due to alleged human rights violations However, since appointed as Defense Minister, he has visited the country, invited by both the Trump and Biden administrations.

Asked about potential democratic backsliding in Indonesia, Kirby said the administration will “never back away from our concerns about the need for human rights, civil rights, and all the values of democratic institutions”. He stressed that President Joe Biden “absolutely will not shy away” from expressing such concerns.

During the Mandiri Investment Forum in Jakarta on Tuesday, Prabowo claimed he will be inaugurated as president next October. He promises a smooth transfer of the government. “I believe the transition will be very smooth since as we know from the three candidates, my team has been open in acknowledging that we're part of Team Jokowi,” he said. “We are not ashamed.”

VOA | REUTERS

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