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Jokowi looks to Prabowo after PDI-P shuts door on reconciliation
Former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s recent dinner with President Prabowo Subianto may have been intended to secure political protection after the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) closed the door for reconciliation, analysts said.
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President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri and former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo arrive on Sept. 29, 2023, for the party's national meeting in East Jakarta. (The Jakarta Post/Antara)
J
oko “Jokowi” Widodo’s recent dinner with President Prabowo Subianto indicates that the former president is trying to secure political protection after his former party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), closed the door for reconciliation with him.
From his hometown of Surakarta in Central Java, Jokowi flew to Jakarta on Friday to visit rival-turned-ally Prabowo in his residence in Kertanegara, where the Gerindra Party chairman has often hosted talks with political party leaders.
Jokowi and Prabowo dined together that evening, as shown in a series of photos either posted on their social media accounts or released to the media by their PR teams.
Speaking to the media after the dinner, Prabowo, who assumed the reins of the government in October after Jokowi ended a decade in power, said he invited Jokowi for dinner upon learning that the latter was in Jakarta.
Jokowi said the meeting was a reciprocal gesture after Prabowo visited him in Surakarta in early November, adding: “Now that I’m in Jakarta, I wanted to visit him because I miss him”.
Seeking protection
Analysts, however, believed Saturday’s meeting between Jokowi and Prabowo was more than just an ordinary dinner and reciprocal visit.
