“I told him that his Cabinet is only part of it. My hope is [his administration] is more successful in the future,” he said with a smile with Jokowi sitting next to him.

In their first official meeting, Yudhoyono said he and Jokowi had the same vision to build the country. However, it was not easy being president, with every decision scrutinized by the public.

“But I know he [Jokowi] is tough in the face of various challenges,” the former president added.

Yudhoyono, accompanied by his loyal friend and former minister Djoko Suyanto, expressed his pleasure of meeting President Jokowi. The meeting, he said, aimed to start a political tradition between administrations.

The two did not discuss official support from the Democratic Party for Jokowi’s administration, he said, adding that his visit was as a former president, not as chairman of the Dems. Yudhoyono, however, hinted that for the sake of the country’s best interests, any political cooperation was possible.

Jokowi echoed Yudhoyono’s sentiments.

“If we maintain this tradition, we can reach our targets for the interest of the people,” he said.

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