Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Jakarta – Presidential contender Prabowo Subianto said on Tuesday that Indonesia, which has a majority moderate Muslim population, was a role model for democracy, expressing hope the upcoming presidential could be carried out peacefully.
As the only challenger to incumbent President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in the April poll, the Gerindra Party chairman said Indonesia could learn from Malaysia and South Africa that had successfully held peaceful elections.
"I want to be very open. In a peaceful transfer of power, Indonesian people will be heard and our democracy will be proven to be successful," Prabowo said in his speech during The World 2019 Gala Dinner held by The Economist in Singapore on Tuesday evening.
He also said that the majority of Muslims in Indonesia were moderate and had "grown tired" of being associated with radicalism, adding that it was important for a leader to educate people and clerics so they would not lose their way and become radicalized. "The responsibility of a leader is to teach," he said.
Prabowo pledged that if he was elected president, one of his main priorities would be to establish a clean government. "If I am elected, my biggest goal will be to create a rational and modern bureaucracy, a clean democracy, a clean governance. That will lead to a good atmosphere for investment," he said.
He claimed that today, many foreigners preferred to live in Singapore because the country offered a good and mature legal system and bureaucracy.
"There's legal certainty [for people in Singapore]. That's why many people feel comfortable living in Singapore. I think these [a good legal system and bureaucracy] are what Indonesia need," Prabowo said.
Indonesia's upcoming presidential election, which will be held on April 17, will see a rematch between Prabowo and Jokowi, who also competed for the country's top post in the 2014 election.