VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo held a political meeting with 3 presidential candidates who will run in the 2024 elections Monday afternoon (30/10). This meeting seems to be seen as an answer to the issue of the president's partiality towards one of the candidate pairs. Previously, one of the party officials supporting one of the candidates said that the President should hold a meeting with the presidential candidates to reduce the issues circulating in society ahead of the election.

The meeting which was held at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta took place smoothly and friendlily with a lunch together enjoying traditional cuisine. The presidential candidates, Ganjar Pranowo, Prabowo Subianto and Anies Baswedan came without their respective vice-presidential candidates and had lunch with President Joko Widodo. The invitation to this lunch meeting had previously been expressed by one of the party leaders supporting one of the presidential candidates.

It is hoped that this meeting will be a breath of fresh air with the widespread issues of president's partiality towards one of the presidential and vice-presidential candidates. This is related to the existence of a family from the president who is a vice presidential candidate. The public are divided between the pros and cons regarding this matter. Not to mention it was preceded by a Constitutional Court verdict which the public considered very controversial.

Previously, President Joko Widodo had also expressed his support for the three presidential candidates for the good of the nation. He asked the community to remain harmonious and peaceful even though they have different choices and did not want divisions because of differences in the elections.

Before meeting with the 3 presidential candidates, President Joko Widodo also met with temporary regional heads throughout Indonesia. In his direction, he asked them not to take side with any candidate, be neutral, be supportive to the General Election Commission and the General Election Supervisory Agency in the implementation of the Election and maintain harmony during the political year.

It seems that the meeting and the lunch of President Joko Widodo and the future presidential candidates contain the same things as the meeting with temporary regional officials; one of them is maintaining mutual harmony and peace. Thereby, the word neutrality is the main point. Because the neutrality of stakeholder officials in government will support the creation of a conducive and peaceful atmosphere. Likewise, the wish expressed by the 3 presidential candidates to the president at the luncheon was the neutrality of the current leaders, including the president in facing the 2024 elections.