YUDHOYONO HELPS ENSURE SMOOTH TRANSITION OF NEXT GOVERNMENT by Fardah

  Jakarta, Aug 28 (Antara) - Since the beginning, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has expressed his intention to assist the next president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in preparing for the transition from the current administration to the next government.

        "This is my moral obligation as a former president later and as a good citizen who wishes to continue to serve his country with dedication," Yudhoyono, who will end his second presidential tenure on October 20, 2014, stated while delivering his last state-to-the-nation address at parliament building in Jakarta on August 16, 2014.  

    In early August, Yudhoyono had also stated that he and his cabinet ministers were willing to support the process of forming the next government once the Constitutional Court (MK) issued a verdict with regard to presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto's lawsuit and confirmed the winner of the presidential election held on July 9, 2014.

         President Yudhoyono understood that the next president will face no easy challenges, and once the president and vice president are sworn in and inaugurated for the 2014-2019 presidential term, they must immediately begin working to meet public expectations.

           A month after the inauguration, the next president must be prepared for a series of important regional and international meetings, such as the ASEAN and East Asia Summits, APEC, and G20 summit.

          On August 21, 2014, the MK had issued the verdict overruling Prabowo's challenge and confirmed Jokowi as the winner of the presidential election.

         Soon after the announcement, the palace announced that Yudhoyono was ready to meet president-elect Jokowi. Yudhoyono was sincere in his offer because he did not want past experiences to be repeated. No meetings took place during Yudhoyono's governmental transition after he was elected in 2004.

         This time, he expressed hope that the transition process will run smoothly, resulting in a smooth succession and creation of a tradition for the future.

         Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrian Pasha recently stated that the meeting was President Yudhoyono's initiative and marked a milestone in the transition of political leadership in Indonesia.

         "The head of state will communicate directly with the president-elect in a timely manner," Pasha remarked.

         Former chief of the Indonesian military's territorial affairs Lt. Gen. (ret) Agus Widjojo, who is concurrently a political observer, lauded the meeting between President Yudhoyono and President-elect Jokowi.

          "Everyone expects that President Yudhoyono and Jokowi's meeting will run smoothly for the sake of good governmental transition," said Agus during a discussion titled "Lessons Learned from the 2014 Election in the Context of Democratic Transition in Indonesia."
     Meanwhile, presidential special staff for political communication Daniel Sparingga said in Bali that the meeting was a new chapter in the history of national politics, which has encouraged good leadership transition and mutual respect.

         "The meeting had been expected by president-elect Jokowi after the election dispute verdict, and the important thing is that President Yudhoyono has started a new tradition that every outgoing president should discuss general issues in the government with the next president," Daniel Sparingga pointed out.

         He noted that the transition process basically involves a number of components but initially begins between the leaders.

         "President Yudhoyono has a long record, as he writes a daily journal about the government. The president can convey some significant achievements and also about unfinished homework," he emphasized.

          The unfinished homework of the current government included poverty eradication and economic growth promotion. Both have to be addressed simultaneously to narrow down the social gap, he stressed.

         The first official meeting between president-elect Jokowi and President Yudhoyono finally took place in Nusa Dua, Bali, on August 27, 2014.

          In a televised press statement following the meeting, President Yudhoyono asserted his moral obligation to assist President-elect Jokowi who will lead the new government for the 2014-2019 period.

          He remarked that the consultation process as a new tradition should be carried out in an era of democracy in Indonesia for the good of the nation.

         Yudhoyono said they had discussed some important issues regarding the state and government affairs before the end of 2014 and beginning of 2015.

         "The discussion included the Draft 2015 State Budget and the Revised 2014 State Budget," the president said.

         The President revealed that he had expressed his views and concerns as well as important issues comprehensively and completely to Jokowi.

       "Smooth transition is important and beneficial for the new government," he affirmed.

        President Yudhoyono reiterated that he and Jokowi had agreed to continue consultation on transition of the government.

          "Alhamdulillah (Thank God) Jokowi and I have the same thing in mind. We agree to continue consultation and to create a new tradition in order to make the transition of government as smooth as possible," the president stated.

         "By having opened the doors of consultation in the transition of leadership and the government later, the consultation team of Pak Jokowi is now able to officially consult with the ranks of the current government that I will assign later," the president noted, referring to more detailed discussions.

         Sharing Yudhoyono's view, Jokowi agreed that the consultation meeting with Yudhoyono was a new tradition and also fulfilled his objective to ensure continuity between the current and the next governments.

          "This is a new tradition that we are going to build between President Yudhoyono's government and the new government later," Jokowi emphasized. ***1***
(F001/INE/S012)