Editorial: Kiss and make up!

The Jakarta Post   |  Fri, 07/10/2009 11:01 AM  |  Opinion

Jusuf Kalla’s presidential campaign slogan “the faster, the better” does apply to the post-election context as well: “The faster” the political elite mends fences with their fellow compatriots, “the better”.

Although JK lost the July 8 election according to the quick count, he is still Vice President until October. Winner Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono must also be aware that JK is still his Vice President until then.

The two, who might have ruffled each other’s feathers during the campaign, must now return to being the good twin-leaders they have been for the last five years.

As President, SBY is both the leader of the government and the people. He earned his government position from his political party and as a head of state from the 2004 election. Consequently, he will be wearing the same two hats if he wins this election.  

Now, SBY and JK will have to “kiss and make up” and this should also apply to those below their level and all the way down to the grassroots.

The people have spoken, albeit through the quick count, and the losers ought to accept defeat.

One should avoid what Megawati Soekarnoputri did when she lost to SBY in the 2004 presidential election. She has refused to concede defeat until today. This is bad statesmanship and sets a terrible political example.

Still Megawati has an opportunity to repair the damage by reacting differently this time. A more mature respond will pave the way for her daughter to enter politics. Otherwise, she will scrap her political legacy all together.

The same applies to Megawati’s running mate, Prabowo Subianto. The former army general should be able to handle his emotions and accept defeat wholeheartedly as he did in 2004 when his military rival Wiranto defeated him in his bid to become the Golkar Party’s presidential candidate.  

Prabowo’s meteoric rise in Indonesian politics in recent months is a huge asset in itself. A wrong move this time around will rob him of future opportunities in politics, particularly in 2014.

Cabinet members have to return to business as usual, particularly when it comes to cooperating with their colleagues who might have been supporting other candidates during the campaign. There is no need to wait for the manual count to treat their colleagues as good statesmen should.  

During the heat of the campaign, the cabinet may have been divided for a while.

They may have attacked each other, which is a healthy thing in democracy. This period is now over.

Today, the winners have to be able to embrace the losers and refrain from boasting about their victory. The losers have to concede defeat and refrain from violating the rules of the game.  This is an easy thing to say but not to practice, judging from our 11-years-old democracy.

JK’s promise to congratulate the winner once the manual count is finished should be followed by everyone in the loser camp.

The election is a national project to select our leader.

The true winner are the people, who have shown they can hold a peaceful election for the umpteenth time. It is a testament to the people’s political maturity. It is therefore not unreasonable to suggest the elite learn from the people.

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