Ghina Ghaliya, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and former presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto have expressed hope that their supporters will reconcile after the two leaders met for a chat.
Jokowi and Prabowo met for the first time at an MRT station in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, almost three months after the presidential election.
The President said supporters of both camps should forgive each other and move forward to work together to build the nation.
"We are one nation. There is no more cebong [tadpoles] and kampret [little bats]. There should be Garuda. Garuda Pancasila," Jokowi told reporters at the MRT station in Senayan, Central Jakarta.
Cebong and kampret are derogatory terms used by supporters of the two camps to insult each other, with the first was referring to Jokowi while the latter was Prabowo. Garuda Pancasila is a mythical bird that is the symbol of the country.
Responding Jokowi's remarks, Prabowo nodded and clapped. "I totally agree. No more cebong, no more kampret. Everyone is red and white," he said, in reference to the country's flag.
Prabowo said Jokowi and him were friends and it was natural for them to argue and compete with each other sometimes. That, he said, was "for the sake of politics and democracy".
"But after fierce competition, we should remain within the Republic of Indonesia as one family. We are the children of the nation. We are patriots and we want to do the best for the nation," Prabowo said.
Both also dismissed that there were strains between them that had prevented them from meeting earlier, claiming that they were on tight schedules.
Prabowo said there might be some supporters who were still angry at each other, but together, there are many things that the country could achieve. (awa)