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View all search resultsPrabowo, Jokowi display unity amid strained ties speculation
President Prabowo Subianto, his predecessor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka sit together during the Independence Day ceremony, in what observers saw as a show of unity amid speculation of strained relations among the three.
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President Prabowo Subianto (center) talks with Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka (right) and former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Monday before the ceremony commemorating the 81st anniversary of Indonesia’s independence at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta. (Antara/Bayu Pratama S)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto, his predecessor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka sit together during the Independence Day ceremony, in what observers see as a show of unity amid speculation of strained relations among the three.
A livestream of the ceremony at the Merdeka Palace in Central Jakarta on Monday showed a moment in which the President sat on the highest platform at the palace’s terrace, between Jokowi and Jokowi’s son Gibran. They were captured on camera grinning and clapping as they watched fighter jet air displays by the Indonesian Air Force.
The top row seats were reserved for the President and Vice President, their predecessors, as well as legislative leaders. But former presidents Megawati Soekarnoputri and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono did not attend the Aug. 17 ceremony.
The apparent camaraderie between the President and Jokowi was only natural, according to State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi.
“They have always been very close, and some social media users have even called them ‘besties’,” he said, using the casual slang for best friends. He said the seating position was largely a matter of arrangements as Jokowi was the only former president attending.
The moment has intrigued observers. Political analyst Arifki Chaniago suspected that it was intended to show a good rapport among Prabowo and the father-son duo.
Read also: Prabowo-Jokowi strains surface amid public discontent
