Prabowo Praises Jakarta Governor as 'Great Governor,' Anies Responds Humbly

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has stated that he wishes for the public to judge the praise he received from President Joko Widodo, who referred to him as a 'great governor' during the inauguration of the Kelapa Gading-Manggarai route of the Jakarta Light Rail Transit (LRT). Speaking to reporters in Central Jakarta on Thursday (17/9), Baswedan said, 'Regarding being praised, I will let the public judge.' On the previous day, Wednesday (16/9), President Widodo delivered a speech at the Manggarai LRT Station in South Jakarta during the inauguration of the Kelapa Gading-Manggarai LRT. During this event, Widodo highlighted Baswedan's achievements as the Governor of DKI Jakarta, even praising him as a great governor. 'In essence, congratulations, thank you, Governor. I must admit if there is a great governor, then I admit he is great,' Widodo stated. Widodo also touched upon the difference in their party affiliations. Beyond that, Widodo instructed other parties to use the achievements of the Jakarta Governor as a form of encouragement. 'Although he is not from my party. But, this must encourage other parties, right? Let's work properly!' he emphasized. This event is seen as an example of how cooperation transcends party lines in Indonesian politics and how the performance of regional leaders is evaluated. Public praise from a sitting president towards a sitting governor is particularly noteworthy and could influence future political alliances and election strategies.