Prabowo won February’s presidential election by a margin of more than 30 points over former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan.
Anies’s camp filed an objection with the Constitutional Court, arguing that the election was rigged, but the court rejected the move in April.
Ahead of Prabowo’s inauguration, Anies spoke with NHK about the road ahead for Indonesia, urging the new government to encourage dialogue and promote the democratic process.
He said, “We need to make sure that the new government values the importance of dialogue, the importance of exchange of ideas, the importance of public debates in a democratic society.”
He also pointed out that the country is facing challenges with employment, social welfare and education. About half of Indonesia’s population is under 30 years old.
He added, “It’s the young people who get the educational enlightenment and are willing to take breakthrough steps with breakthrough ideas to offer nations.”
Anies said the nation will prosper if it focuses on education, narrowing economic gaps and expanding medical services. He believes Indonesia has overcome many challenges in the past, and he’s optimistic about its future.