Almost all newspapers on Aug. 30, 2018, printed the photograph of President Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto embracing each other in a group hug, draped by a large red-and-white flag.
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Almost all newspapers on Aug. 30, 2018, printed the photograph of President Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto embracing each other in a group hug, draped by a large red-and-white flag.
It was Indonesia pencak silat athlete Hanifan Yudani Kusumah, a gold medalist in the 2018 Asian Games, who had united the two national figures. “I just want pencak silat to unite the nation,” Hanifan said later. Several elite political figures witnessed the historic moment when politics was set aside and opposing camps united under sports.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla, former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Puan Maharani, Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister Sofyan Djalil, Indonesian chef de mission Syafruddin and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto were there, clapping and cheering.
Photographs of the moment, taken from multiple angles, went viral on social media. Many bore heartwarming titles and captions, such as “Pelukan Menyejukkan” (“Soothing Hug”), “#2019Kita Tetap Bersaudara-Jangan Mau Diadu Domba” (#2019We Are Brothers-Don’t Let Others Set Us Against One Another”) and “Asian Games Persatukan Kita” (“Asian Games Unites Us”). Positive energy seems to have radiated from the embrace between Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto under the banner of the Merah Putih (national flag).
This is a valuable lesson in sports. The Asian Games has united the nation. Its energy, without any regard to ethnicity, religion, race or tribes, is being used to fight for the nation’s honor. Prabowo, who chairs the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (IPSI), summed it up perfectly: “If it’s for the country and for the nation, we stand united. Nothing can divide us.”
The photographs published in many newspapers and on social media, complete with positive messages, must be seen as an expression of the people’s desire to live in harmony with one another. Sports has united us all, and the nation’s leaders. Political activists should take hold of this spirit so that they will not sow divisiveness, provoke conflict or polarize the nation. There is no need to launch character assassination against our leaders.
This desire for harmony, friendship and brotherhood is manifest in the embrace between Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto. On the political stage, President Joko Widodo will face off against Prabowo Subianto in the presidential election on April 17, 2019. This historic embrace is like an oasis amid the heated political environment.
The political contestation on April 17, 2019, is ordinary in a democracy. It should not be a fight to the death for power. Such a mindset will only undermine the nation’s unity.
The nation needs to stay calm and cool to emerge from the current economic difficulties. Political contests should not be hijacked by anti-democracy groups that prevent Indonesia’s democracy from maturing.