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s the inauguration of president-elect Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo nears, National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman and defeated vice-presidential candidate Hatta Rajasa has reassured the public that his Red-and-White Coalition will not hamper the incoming administration.

Speaking to the press at his private residence in Cilandak, South Jakarta, Hatta eased concerns on rumors that the coalition, which controls a majority of seats at the House of Representatives, will disrupt Jokowi'€™s inauguration slated for Oct. 20.

'€œDo not sensationalize something that eventually will not happen, such as that the KMP will boycott the inauguration. If [media outlets] keep raising the issue, the market will become nervous,'€ he said, referring to the acronym of the coalition.

Hatta also confirmed his plan to attend Jokowi'€™s inauguration.

'€œ[My religion] teaches that if we get an invitation, we must fulfill it as long as there are no obstacles,'€ he said.

Hatta implied that he would encourage defeated presidential candidate and Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto to attend the event.

'€œI don'€™t know Pak Prabowo'€™s schedule, but I will ask him [about his plan to attend],'€ he added.

After losing the hard-fought election on April 9 and failing in his legal challenge of the election result, Prabowo has not met with Jokowi or vice president-elect Jusuf Kalla.

Unlike Prabowo, Hatta appeared to accept his defeat and open the door to reconciliation. Last month, Hatta met with and congratulated Jokowi at a gathering at the residence of Nasdem Party chairman Surya Paloh. Hatta has also contacted Kalla to convey his congratulations.

Last month, PAN deputy chairman Dradjad Wibowo, secretary-general Taufik Kurniawan and executive Tjatur Sapto Edy attended the national assembly of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in Semarang, heightening speculation that Hatta'€™s party was inching closer to Jokowi.

In the following days, however, it appeared that the PDI-P had failed to woo PAN as the party backed the Red-and-White Coalition'€™s agenda in scrapping the direct election of regional heads during the vote on the Regional Elections Law at the House on Sept. 26.

Also on Wednesday, the head of PAN'€™s advisory council, Amien Rais, hinted that the party was open to possible collaboration with Jokowi'€™s administration.

Positive signals from PAN appeared after Jokowi'€™s overtures toward the Red-and-White Coalition'€™s leaders, including coalition coordinator and Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie.

Jokowi is also slated to meet with United Development Party (PPP) chairman Suryadharma Ali, as well as outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono '€” who is also Hatta'€™s in-law '€” in his capacity as chairman of the Democratic Party.

One of the deputies of Jokowi'€™s transition team, Andi Widjajanto, said that the team was working to bring together Jokowi and Prabowo in a meeting in the near future. Prabowo'€™s camp had not yet responded to the meeting request.

Gerindra deputy chairman Fadli Zon said that Prabowo would not reject a meeting offer from Jokowi.

'€œ[A friendly meeting] is good although there are differences [between related parties],'€ Fadli said.

Political analyst Ray Rangkuti of the Indonesian Civil Society Circle (Lima) applauded the reconciliation efforts, saying that they '€œmight prevent Jokowi from facing obstacles or being humiliated'€ by lawmakers from the opposing coalition during his inauguration at the House.

'€œThe friendly meetings with Jokowi also help the Red-and-White Coalition to revamp its image. The dialogues could be the seed of future cooperation between the coalition and Jokowi,'€ he said.