The Prabowo-Sandi pair had emerged victorious in 13 provinces, or 38 percent of Indonesia's total areas and population. The Jokowi-Ma'ruf Amin camp cannot afford to ignore this voter base, Widya Mandira Catholic University's political analyst Marianus Kleden pointed out.
Hence, as the president, Jokowi should necessarily care for his contender's voters and supporters for the sake of maintaining the country's integrity and unity in diversity, Kleden stated.
As a statesman, Jokowi could make his attention to the Prabowo-Sandi camp evident by appointing several of Prabowo's men in his cabinet, so they become part of the Jokowi-Amin administration, he remarked.
However, if Jokowi neglects his contender's voters, it could potentially sow the seeds of disintegration in Indonesia, as the general elections were not merely a matter of winning and losing, Kleden cautioned.
"We all understand that the general elections are not just a matter of winning and losing, but it is also related to how to grasp the people's aspirations and preferences in governing the state," he emphasized.
In response to the MK's final ruling, Indonesia's President-elect Jokowi, on Thursday evening, vowed to be a leader for the entire nation, without any exception.
"I and KH Ma'ruf Amin have promised to be the president and vice president for all Indonesians," he stated in a press briefing at the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta before his departure for Japan to attend the G20 Summit.
Accompanied by his running mate, Ma'ruf Amin, Jokowi thanked the entire nation and expressed optimism that the people's mandate that he received for the second term would be fulfilled to the best of his abilities.
The given mandate will be used for creating fair and equitable development across Indonesia and boosting social welfare of all people, the incumbent president stated before leaving Jakarta for Japan to attend the G-20 Summit.
Jokowi's rival, Prabowo Subianto, while speaking to journalists, said he fully respected the binding decision made by MK's nine-judge panel
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Translator: Bernadus Tokan, Rahmad Nasutio
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
