More Than 1 Hour Gibran-Bima Arya-Ganjar Pranowo Relaxed Discussion, What Was Discussed?

Illustration of the meeting (Photo via Central Java Provincial Government)

JAKARTA - Two mayors, Gibran Rakabuming and Bima Arya, came to the official residence of the Governor of Central Java Ganjar Pranowo, Thursday afternoon, October 14.

The Mayor of Surakarta and Mayor of Bogor arrived at around 12.30 WIB. Gibran Rakabuming Raka and Bima Arya came with their families who were greeted by Ganjar. The three of them immediately engrossed in the conversation.

"Wow, I'm so glad I was visited by two great mayors," said Ganjar.

The conversation in the living room didn't last long. Ganjar invited Gibran and Bima Arya to a teak table on his terrace to have lunch together. Padang cuisine is the menu.

More than an hour the three of them enjoyed their meal while exchanging stories. Bima Arya said this visit was a response to the arrival of Ganjar Pranowo to Bogor City Hall two years ago.

"We've been friends since neither of us became regional heads. This is a return visit, (two years ago) I invited the Governor to come to Bogor. When I was sick, the Governor kept encouraging me," said Bima after the meeting.

According to Bima, many things were discussed in the chat that afternoon. Starting from politics, food, to sports.

“So I came here for a return visit and had a casual chat. Talking about politics, yes, talking about food, yes, talking about sports, we will talk about everything," said Bima.

Regarding his arrival with Gibran Rakabuming, Bima said it was no coincidence. This is because both of them have just attended an event held by the Association of Indonesian City Governments (APEKSI) in Yogyakarta.

“Incidentally, we just finished the Apeksi event, a meeting of mayors from all over Indonesia in Jogja, met Mas Gibran. Mas Gibran wants to take him if he wants to go to Semarang. Yes, I am very happy to have Mas Gibran's company here," he said.

From their chat, Bima said that there are several plans that will be worked out together in the near future.

“Yes, there are plans nearby. The point is, according to us, regional heads with the same frequency must often gather and exchange ideas, encourage and support each other. In the near future, there were several discussions that we wanted to do together," he said.

Governor of Central Java Ganjar Pranowo said the arrival of these two young leaders became a positive spirit in the government. Talks about the populist economy such as MSMEs to the creative economy were discussed casually.

“We talk a lot about many things in local government. Sometimes it's also a ridiculous story, because we often talk too. I and Mas Bima are also quite close, so we talk to the younger generation, SME stories, sports stories, creative industry stories, all kinds of things," said Ganjar.

Regarding the plan to be carried out together, Ganjar assessed that Bima Arya's position as the Head of Apeksi would have a good impact. Moreover, Bima Arya and Gibran as young leaders, there are many breakthroughs that can be done.

“I think if Apeksi can facilitate it, it's certainly good. It's okay to meet with the Mayor of Solo. Later the Central Javanese style will appear, the West Javanese style will appear and later the mayors from outside Java will join, wow that's good. Having a joint agenda setting to build the region together and of course it will benefit the people. This is a young leader, these are cool, "he said.