T

he national meeting of the National Mandate Party (PAN) on Wednesday night marked a significant development in the country'€™s political landscape with President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo not only mending ties with PAN but with other political parties.

Leaders of parties from both the opposition Red and White Coalition and the ruling Great Indonesia Coalition showed up at the PAN meeting including Gerindra Party chairman and failed presidential candidate Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto, embattled Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie, Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) chairman Anis Matta, executive chairman of the Democratic Party Syarief Hasan and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri.

In his speech, President Jokowi called on leaders of the major political parties to let go of their differences and unite for the sake of the country.

'€œThe competition is no longer between people, no longer between provinces but between countries. Our challenges are getting more difficult, so we should stop fighting among ourselves [...] we need unity so we can deal with the challenges. These are challenges for all political parties,'€ Jokowi said in his speech.

Jokowi also called for political party leaders to show restraint as the real political battle would not start again until 2019.

'€œIf we want to fight, please fight in 2019 or during the simultaneous local elections but after that please get back to work for the nation, the state and the people,'€ he said.

Prior to delivering his speech, Jokowi was also seen sharing light moments with several of the political leaders including Prabowo, the man he defeated in the 2014 presidential election.

Jokowi shared jokes with Prabowo, even teasing the Gerindra founder with a question as to whether he would run again for president. '€œPak Prabowo, will you run again in 2019?'€ Jokowi was heard asking.

Jokowi'€™s presence at the PAN meeting to inaugurate the leadership of party chairman Zulkifli Hasan was viewed as a significant development, signaling that the party could perhaps join the ruling coalition.

Zulkifli, the current People'€™s Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker and former forestry minister, beat then incumbent Hatta Rajasa in a close race by securing 292 votes, six votes ahead of Hatta, in a national congress in Bali in March.

Under the leadership of Zulkifli, PAN was initially expected to remain outside the ruling coalition, given the new chairman'€™s ties to PAN founder Amien Rais, who is one of the staunchest critics of Jokowi.

Many analysts believed that Zulkifli'€™s leadership would signal the return of Amien to the party. Amien led the party and served as MPR speaker from 1999 to 2004.

Zulkifli'€™s daughter Futri Zulya Safitri is married to Amien'€™s son Ahmad Mumtaz Rais.

In his speech after inaugurating PAN'€™s new central board, Zulkifli also signalled that he could support Jokowi'€™s administration.

'€œDifferences among us have gone. The enemy is not differences but poverty, the huge discrepancy between the rich and the poor, radicalism and intolerance,'€ said PAN chairman Zulkifli Hasan in his speech.

'€œAll of us must contribute to building this country, whether or not we are formally in the government,'€ Zulkifli added.