Jokowi Unites With Prabowo Through Pencak Silat at Asian Games

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Gerindra Party leader Prabowo Subianto hug Indonesia’s pencak silat athlete Hanifan Kusumah who wins a gold medal at Asian Games on Wednesday (29/08). (Antara Photo/Inasgoc/Kumparan/Aditia Noviansyah via Jakarta Globe)

Jakarta. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo united with his rival in next year’s presidential election Prabowo Subianto as both along with other important civil servants witnessed the events’ finals of pencak silat on Wednesday at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, East Jakarta.

Pencak silat, which makes debut at Asian Games this year, showcased eight events’ finals on the day with host Indonesia seizing six gold medals in the end from three art-motion events and three combating matches.

Jokowi, who arrived later for watching the last two events, sat just beside Prabowo in the VIP seats accompanied by Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Puan Maharani and chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Indonesia’s Hanifan Kusumah, who won gold in men’s C class against Vietnam’s Thai Linh Nguyen, made a victory lap after his match and run onto the VIP seats to hug Jokowi and Prabowo in a united gesture between the three.

His spontaneous act suddenly earned a roaring and cheerful noise from the crowd, who fulfilled the stadium’s maximum capacity of 3,000 thousands.

“Jokowi and Prabowo both are great people. We are a nation, we shouldn’t be parted because of something not important,” Hanifan said after the events referring to political tension between the two’s followers, which has been shown in recent years in the grassroots level.

Prabowo, leader of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), has declared to challenge Jokowi again in 2019 presidential election, as the same rivalry was also seen in the 2014 presidential election in which Jokowi beat the former army general with a tight result.

“Through pencak silat, I want to show that Indonesia is a safe and peaceful country,” the 20-year-old athlete added.

Indonesia bagged another five gold medals as silat concluded its all events on Wednesday through Wewey Wita in women’s B class, Pipiet Kamelia in women’s D class, Sugianto in men’s single art, Ni Made Dwiyanti and Ayu Wilantari in women’s doubles art and Pramudita Yuristya, Gina Lestari and Lutfi Nurhasanah in women’s team art.

Each gold medal won by Indonesian athletes at the Asian Games will cost the Indonesian government Rp 1.5 billion ($102,000) and Jokowi assured that bonuses will come on time for silat athletes who have contributed 14 golds for the host.

“I will coordinate this night that the bonuses should be delivered as soon as possible,” Jokowi told reporters. “Pencak silat has made the government broke with the bonuses,” he added with smile of joking to Prabowo, who’s also the chairman of Indonesian Pencak Silat Association, or IPSI.

“Whatever, if it’s for the interest of our nation and country, we will unite,” Prabowo said.

Prabowo, left, and Jokowi address reporters at Padepokan Pencak Silat of Taman Mini Indonesia Indah in Jakarta on Wednesday (29/08). (Photo courtesy of Amal Ganesha)

With silat’s successful milestone at the Games, Indonesia is now fourth in the medal tally with 30 gold, 22 silver and 36 bronze medals.

Reporting and writing by Amal Ganesha for Jakarta Globe