Heru Andriyanto & Christian Lee, Jakarta – Prabowo Subianto's campaign team released a video early on Tuesday morning as the General Elections Commission, or KPU, declared a win for his rival Joko Widodo in the presidential election.
The video called on Prabowo's supporters to keep up protests against the election result, but to do so peacefully and constitutionally.
In the video, Prabowo and members of his campaign team sit cross-legged facing the camera. The former Army general stuck to his familiar rhetoric, claiming that the election was fraudulent.
"We understand that the people are worried. We are concerned about the huge fraud that was committed throughout the election," Prabowo said.
"This is not a matter of winning or losing; it is not the problem for one individual, but a very fundamental problem: the sovereignty of the people. People's rights are being robbed. Their rights are being raped," he said.
Prabowo asked his supporters to carry out the protests planned on Wednesday peacefully.
"I continue to urge that all [mass] actions, all activities [to protest] are done peacefully. The steps we take are constitutional steps. Democratic and peaceful steps, without any violence," he said.
"We are not fighting for ourselves, but wholeheartedly for the people's sovereignty, for democracy, for an independent Indonesia free from occupation in any form," Prabowo said.
He also said that those planning to carry out violence are not his real supporters, adding that "the difficult path is the path taken by warriors."
"We don't want violence in Indonesian politics. Taking the non-violent path may be difficult, but history has proved that sometimes the difficult path will bring goodness to all. If you are provoked, I urge you not to retaliate," he said.
Prabowo also rejected the accusation that not recognizing the results of the 2019 presidential election is an act of treason.
"We have no intention of [committing] treason, there is no intention from us to break the law. Instead, we want to protect the law, we want to uphold truth and justice," he said.