No SBY blessing for Prabowo

JAKARTA. Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto paid a visit to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his fellow former cadet, late on Friday as a last-minute maneuver to obtain the latter’s endorsement ahead of the July 9 poll.

Prabowo and running mate Hatta Rajasa met with Yudhoyono at the latter’s private residence in Cikeas, West Java.

After the meeting, which lasted less than 20 minutes, Yudhoyono reminded Prabowo that should he be elected, he must keep working hard despite public criticism.

Yudhoyono said Prabowo should avoid stirring up tensions, which would only bring misery to the people.

He also suggested to Prabowo that he embrace everyone, including those who did not support him, and put the people’s interests above personal, group and family interests.

“May Allah bestow his will on you [Prabowo and Hatta] as He surely listens to the intentions of good people,” said Yudhoyono, who allowed the press to witness the meeting.

Prabowo said he and Hatta perceived Yudhoyono’s statement as a reminder and a mandate coming from a statesman.

This is the third time Prabowo has visited Yudhoyono since the legislative election in early May.

Prior to the meeting, YouTube footage showed a discussion in which noted political researcher Hermawan Sulistyo of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) told an audience that Prabowo had beaten up Yudhoyono when the two were still cadets in the early 1970s.

Hermawan said Prabowo was furious after learning that Yudhoyono had told of him sneaking out of the academy to meet his then girlfriend Titiek Soeharto.

The incident could be the reason why Yudhoyono has held back from publicly endorsing Prabowo, according to Hermawan in the footage, which was uploaded on Thursday.

While Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party officially endorsed Prabowo’s candidacy on Monday, Yudhoyono has not conveyed his support, a blessing desperately needed by Prabowo due to Yudhoyono’s popularity, which remains high among the grassroots.

“SBY has not openly declared his support. It’s a matter of self-esteem. He was once beaten up by Prabowo, so why should he now support him?” said Hermawan.

He said the incident delayed Prabowo’s graduation as a punishment slapped on him by the academy governor Sarwo Edhie Wibowo, whose daughter Ani was dating Yudhoyono at the time.

Prabowo’s Gerindra Party denied Hermawan’s statement.

Meanwhile, the management of television station tvOne apologized to the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) over news coverage that allegedly connected the party to the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), according to the Press Council.

The coverage triggered different groups of PDI-P supporters to raid tvOne office buildings in Pulogadung, East Jakarta, and in Yogyakarta, late on Wednesday. The TV station is owned Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie, whose party supports Prabowo.

Earlier in the day, the National Police named the founder of the controversial tabloid Obor Rakyat, Setiyardi Boediono, and its editor, Darmawan Sepriyossa, suspects in a case concerning fraudulent journalism.

The National Police began their investigation after the campaign team of presidential candidate Joko “Jokowi” Widodo filed a police report in June, accusing the two men of publishing hate speech and defamation against the candidate, including falsely reporting that Jokowi was a Christian of Chinese descent.

Setiyardi is known as an assistant to the special presidential staff in Yudhoyono’s administration.

Meanwhile, Jokowi continued his campaign in West Java by conducting Friday prayers at a local mosque in Bogor and shopping for shoes and koko (Islamic shirts) at different shopping malls in Depok and Bekasi, two areas known as strongholds of the Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

When asked for the reason for his shopping mall visits, Jokowi said he aimed to reach out to eligible middle-class voters, who according to him could be found in shopping malls.

“I have visited traditional markets many times. It’s time to reach those from the middle class who like to go to malls,” Jokowi said. (Ina Parlina, Margareth Aritonang)