Palace: Jokowi-AHY Talks Aim at Cooling Off Political Tension

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said the meeting of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Democrat party’s Joint Task Force (Kogasma) commander Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) was aimed at cooling down the political tension after the elections.

“Such a meeting indeed has a purpose to reduce the existing tension,” said Pramono in the Presidential Palace complex, Jakarta, Friday, May 3.

Pramono said the meeting also sought to realign perceptions on present issues, including post-elections’ quick count results.

“This [quick count] has been our tradition in democracy; it is available since 2014,” he added.

According to Pramono, the existence of a quick count in the society actually showed the maturity of the community in upholding democracy. Thus, he added, the meeting of Jokowi and other opposition figures could be viewed as an attempt to fathom the present situation from a broader perspective. 

Read: AHY-Jokowi Meeting and What it Means for Future Politics 

“And if then there’s someone asking to drop Situng real count, it’s strange. Democracy has been further advanced, the controlling tools vary. If Situng is taken down, there is also the election supervisory that has the similar results,” he said.

Situng is known as the General Election Commission’s (KPU) vote count information system on its website.

Earlier reports suggested that the president met AHY at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Thursday afternoon, May 2.

AHY admitted there were political talks on the country’s post-election situation during the 30-minute meeting with Jokowi. He also called on all parties to remain calm and patient while awaiting the announcement of the elections' final results.

FRISKI RIANA