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View all search resultsNo hard feelings toward Anies, insists Prabowo
The President said sharp exchanges during the election campaign were necessary to keep the democratic contest dynamic and engaging. But once elections are over, he continued, political rivalries should no longer be dwelt upon.
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Then-president-elect Prabowo Subianto (second right) and vice president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka (right) talk to presidential candidate Anies Baswedan (left) and vice presidential candidate Muhaimin Iskandar (second left) during the plenary meeting of the General Elections Commission (KPU) announcing the 2024 presidential election result in Jakarta on April 24, 2024. (AFP/Adek Berry)
D
espite their heated contest during the 2024 presidential election, President Prabowo Subianto has made clear that he holds no personal animosity toward opposition figure Anies Baswedan, noting their intense debates in the past were simply part of the democratic process.
The President made the remarks on Monday in his speech at the closing of the Prosperous Justice Party’s (PKS) national congress in Jakarta.
The Islam-based party supported Anies’ presidential bid in last year’s election, but later pledged its support for Prabowo’s administration following the former Jakarta governor’s defeat.
“Honestly, I don’t bear any grudge against Anies, even if he gave me an 11,” Prabowo told PKS members, referring to the score of 11 out of 100 Anies gave him on his performance as defense minister under previous president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
During the presidential debates, Anies had been one of Prabowo’s fiercest critics. The former Jakarta governor once criticized the former Army general for the lackluster performance of the Defense Ministry under his tenure, whose policies failed to support the welfare of Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel.
At one point, Anies even accused Prabowo of allowing conflicts of interest in some of Defense Ministry projects, including in the procurement of defense equipment and the management of large tracts of plantation land controlled by companies linked to ministry officials.
“Actually, [Anies] helped me win [the election] because the emak-emak [mothers] felt sorry for me,” Prabowo quipped, humorously suggesting the low score he got from Anies ended up working in his favor, which prompted laughter from the audience.
