Jokowi, Prabowo Meeting Eagerly Expected by Indonesians: Gerindra

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Gerindra Deputy Chairperson Arief Puyouno believes President-elect Joko Widodo and ex-presidential candidate, Prabowo Subianto, taking a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) train from Lebak Bulus to Senayan for a meeting, Saturday, was eagerly expected by Indonesians.

"The meeting between Kangmas (big brother) Joko Widodo and Mas (brother) Prabowo was a friendly meeting between the two figures that was highly expected by the Indonesian people," Puyouno noted on Saturday while responding to a question on the meeting of the two figures, who had clashed in the 2019 Presidential Election.

Puyouno opined that the meeting between Jokowi and former presidential candidate number 2 Prabowo Subianto was that between friends, who had competed before in the Presidential Election.

"This meeting is a cue for the supporters to follow," he noted.

"We are all members of one nation and one homeland and share a similar goal of working towards achieving a prosperous and just society in Indonesia," he remarked.

Puyouno noted that the meeting also marked the conclusion of a book detailing Indonesia's festival of democracy that concluded with "everybody happy" and is something that could later serve as a reference for the next generation.

Jokowi boarded the MRT train along with Prabowo Subianto from the Lebak Bulus MRT station in South Jakarta on Saturday.

Both met and shook hands at around 10 a.m. local time.

Prabowo arrived at the station at 9:50 a.m. local time followed by President Jokowi reaching the location at around 10 a.m. local time.

Both hugged each other prior to heading to the train platform.

Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, through his Twitter account, @pramonoanung, affirmed that hopes currently ride high on today being an increasingly mature democratic process day.

"Hopefully, this day will be a day that is remembered for an increasingly mature democratic process," Pramono noted on his Twitter account @pramonoanung, as reported by Antara in Jakarta on Saturday.

Anung is upbeat about the meeting making Indonesia more advanced, fair, and prosperous.

ANTARA