President Invites Observers, Academicians to Palace for Talks

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo invited Tuesday a number of political observer and academicians from multiple institutions and universities to the State Palace. Among the invitees were Yunarto Wijaya, Nico Harjanto, Hanta Yudha, M. Qodari, Ikrar Nusa Bakti, Kuskrido Ambardi, Thamrin Amagola and Philip J. Vermonte.

“Just a lunch invitation. Talking about politics,” said Yunarto, a political observer from research institute Charta Politika at the State Palace on Tuesday, April 14, 2014. “Just like the usual, Pak Jokowi just wants to listen to our opinions.”

Yunarto said the topics discussed during the luncheon were centering on increased staple food prices, survey trends and some other political issues—including the president’s public image.

“We are just studying the situation from a macro perspective about the effects of these issues on the public’s perceptions. Including the survey results, whether they were attributed to staple food prices or other issues,” he said. Yunarto, however, stopped short of detailing the substances of the talks between the president and the observers.

Yunarto continued they also discussed issues surrounding political parties and coalitions. “But he initially balked at talking about that,” he said.

Yunarto said the president was silent most of the time when the discussions on parties were afoot, in which one of the observers protested against and criticized the president.

Nico Harjanto, another political expert from pollster Populi Center, was also non-committal when asked about the contents of the discussions. “We were only talking about sayur lodeh (traditional vegetable dish), whether it will suit for dignitaries at the Asia-Africa Conference,” he said.

REZA ADITYA