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SBY ready to meet Prabowo: Dems spokesman
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Close friends: Former president and Democratic Party patron Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (left) greets Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto at the House of Representatives. They were among attendees of an event held to honor Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the House in March. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
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emocratic Party chairman Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is ready to meet with his Gerindra Party counterpart, Prabowo Subianto, and is waiting for a formal invitation from the latter, the Democratic Party’s spokesman has said.
“Pak SBY is a close friend of Pak Prabowo. They just need to make a phone call to be able to meet. The question is, whether or not the meeting takes place at the right moment,” Democratic Party spokesman Dede Yusuf said as quoted by kompas.com at the House of Representatives complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday.
He said the possible meeting between Yudhoyono and Prabowo was discussed in passing at a party meeting attended by the former president on Tuesday.
Dede said the Democratic Party warmly welcomed the potential for Yudhoyono and Prabowo to have a meeting. However, he did not want to comment further before an official invitation was sent by the Gerindra Party.
Dede said it was possible for the meeting to happen because both party leaders had similar perceptions, such as on the newly-passed election bill.
Both the Democratic Party and the Gerindra Party supported revoking the presidential election threshold. “There were some measures that had to be taken by party leaders regarding the ratification of the election bill into law [last week]. Maybe the discussion will be focused more on this matter,” said Dede, who chairs House Commission IX, which oversees demographic affairs, health, manpower and transmigration.
On Monday, Gerindra Party secretary-general Ahmad Muzani said Yudhoyono and Prabowo were striving to match their times to have a meeting, where they would likely discuss preparations for the 2019 elections. (kuk/ebf)
