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JAKARTA, Indonesia – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and former presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto may appear to have reconciled, but it seems this does not mean the opposition would cut the new president any slack.
Political tensions between the two camps appeared to be thawing following the meeting between Jokowi and Prabowo on Friday, October 17.
On Monday, Prabowo attended Jokowi’s inauguration and saluted him again after the new president greeted him and called him his “best friend”.
Despite this, Prabowo’s allies did not hold back biting criticisms on Jokowi’s first official day as president.
“Now is the time to work, don’t party. Don’t party. There’s a lot of work, there are a lot of promises. Start fulfilling those promises,” Gerindra deputy chairman Fadli Zon told reporters after the inauguration ceremony, according to local media reports.
After the ceremony, Jokowi and Vice President Jusuf Kalla went on a parade that lasted about 2 hours through Jakarta organized by their supporters.
Then they proceeded to the Freedom Palace for ceremonies with former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a teleconference with groups from 8 different Indonesian cities, and meetings with visiting foreign heads of state and ministers.
In the evening, they are expected to join tens of thousands of people gathered at the National Monument for a grand party with more than a hundred bands. The celebration will feature Jokowi performing the ceremonial cutting of the top of a rice cone – a tradition in Indonesian celebrations – before leaving again for evening prayers.
It is not yet sure whether they will return later in the evening, when top bands Arkarna and Slank are expected to perform. Thousands of lanterns are also set to be released into the evening sky.
But for Fadli, one of Prabowo’s closest aides, Monday was not a day to celebrate.
“There are so many promises. Boosting economic growth above 7%, distributing IDR1 million for the poor, reviving agricultural land. Later I will compile it in a book,” he said.
#PresidenJokowi aboard the dokar (carriage) crowded by supporters, via @setkabgoid pic.twitter.com/YNfGbnQPLr
— Rappler Indonesia (@RapplerID) October 20, 2014
It’s not just Jokowi’s partying that the opposition has a problem with. Outspoken Golkar Party lawmaker Bambang Soesatyo also took issue with Jokowi ending his inauguration speech with “Merdeka“, or “Freedom”.
Bambang said the remark was a trademark of Jokowi’s party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which – according to him – showed the new president put party before country, according to the Jakarta Globe.
He added that the word, a battle cry for freedom during Indonesia’s independence struggle, could be seen as promoting secession in Papua. “There were delegates from Papua; if it was indeed intended to them, it could mean that he ordered Papua to be independent,” he was quoted as saying.
Dealing with the opposition coalition, led by Prabowo’s Gerindra Party and tycoon Aburizal Bakrie’s Golkar Party, is seen as one of Jokowi’s biggest challenges over the next 5 years. With the opposition controlling the majority of the legislature, they can easily block Jokowi’s programs by refusing to fund it.
In the weeks between Jokowi’s election victory and his inauguration, the opposition already managed to pass a law ending direct elections for local leaders and secure the leadership of the legislature (DPR) and the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR).
Jokowi has insisted a majority opposition would not be a problem, as he dealt with one in Jakarta. But during the week before the inauguration, he was seen courting opposition leaders Aburizal and Prabowo. – Rappler.com
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