Political and Social Reconciliation
Azyumardi Azra
The meeting between Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Prabowo Subianto on Saturday (13/7/2019) was a pleasing surprise awaited by many leaders and citizens of the nation. The two former presidential candidates for the 2019-2024 term had been competing fiercely since before the presidential election on 17 April 2019 and continued until after the Constitutional Court rejected the demands made by Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno in the litigation over the results of the presidential election on June 27. The determination of Joko Widodo-Ma\'ruf Amin as elected president and vice president of the 2019 election by the General Elections Commission (KPU) did not necessarily lead to reconciliation.With regard to this, the meeting between Jokowi and Prabowo on 13 July at Lebak Bulus MRT Station, followed by traveling aboard the MRT Jakarta having lunch in Senayan Jakarta, must be greeted with gratitude and joy. The meeting of the two figures opened the door for the resolution of tension and polarization in the community as a result of the 2019 presidential election.
The Jokowi and Prabowo meeting was a big step in creating islah (reconciliation) , which linguistically means making things better. Etymologically, islah means eliminating conflicts or disputes that can cause damage and instead create peace that includes harmony and reconciliation.