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his Latin phrase, translated as '€œthe voice of the people is the voice of God,'€ in an Indonesian context simply means that the nation has decided to entrust Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo and Jusuf Kalla to lead the nation for the next five years. The judgment was made following a transparent, democratic and fair presidential election on July 9, which culminated in the General Elections Commission'€™s (KPU) announcement of the election result.

Those who doubt the people'€™s wish will hopefully soon realize that they would be gravely mistaken to continue ignoring the voters'€™ choice. Indonesia is the world'€™s third-largest democracy after India and the United States and any attempt to deride the voice of the people will receive little, if any, sympathy from across the globe.

While waiting for his inauguration in October, president-elect Jokowi needs to act quickly to unite the people, who were widely divided before and during the presidential race. Such a phenomenon is normal in full-fledged democracies and the elected leader'€™s first obligation is to reach out to the losing side. We believe Jokowi has the statesmanship to convince everyone that he will act as the true leader of Indonesia, regardless of their political preference.

Losing candidate Prabowo Subianto will enter history books as a man who was led by his own ego to reject the election result just to cover up his own failures. It is difficult to accept his allegations that there was widespread fraud in the election in favor of Jokowi while in fact most irregularities found in the original version of recapitulation forms went against the non-active Jakarta governor.

According to the law, disputes over the election result can be challenged at the Constitutional Court.

Indonesia should now move forward to continue the nation'€™s journey toward prosperity and justice for all, regardless of ethnicity, religion and socioeconomic and political backgrounds. We aim for a much better state for all elements of the nation.

After officially succeeding President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in October, Jokowi should act quickly and effectively to realize his election promises. The former Surakarta mayor will have a short honeymoon because his political opponents in the House of Representatives are likely to do whatever it takes to block his programs.

The Yudhoyono administration in the last 10 years has shown that a ruling coalition does not work well because despite its utmost efforts to accommodate the interests of its allies in the Cabinet, the House could not be tamed.

As Jakarta governor since 2012, Jokowi has faced a similar challenge at the City Council. But unlike Yudhoyono, Jokowi succeeded in overcoming his opponents by directly reaching out to the public. The people will never let politicians hold the nation hostage, as long as they believe that Jokowi is acting in the best interests of the whole population.

We congratulate Jokowi and Kalla for the mandate they have received from the people and above everything we should remember that voters deserve credit for their mature and responsible attitude in the lead-up to, during and after the presidential race.