Indonesia's new president Joko Widodo tells Tony Abbott to keep lines of communication open

George Roberts,

Indonesia's seventh president since independence, Joko Widodo, has held talks with Tony Abbott, stressing to the Australian Prime Minister the importance of communication.

Mr Abbott held a brief meeting with Mr Widodo at his inauguration on Monday night, but the new president of the world's largest majority-Muslim nation also accommodated what the palace described as a "courtesy call".

Mr Widodo, 53, widely known as Jokowi, took time out from the celebrations around his swearing in to host Mr Abbott.

The president told Mr Abbott that their countries were close, but if there were any problems "communication was important to him".

Relations between Australia and Indonesia became strained last November after Mr Abbott initially refused to respond to Indonesia's concerns over spying revelations.

Yesterday, Mr Abbott praised Indonesia's new president as a charismatic and inspirational figure.

"I think there's a wave of confidence and renewal sweeping Indonesia right now, and I'm looking forward to Australia's opportunities to take part in the renewal and the reinvigoration of this important neighbour and partner," he said.

Mr Widodo later revealed that Mr Abbott invited him to the G20 summit in Brisbane next month.

The president said he was not yet sure if he could attend.

Mr Widodo's inauguration at a ceremony in Jakarta ended a decade of rule by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The ceremony at Indonesia's national parliament was the first time in the country's history that a directly-elected president handed power to another.

Mr Widodo used his first speech to push for political unity and for the whole country to work through the nation's challenges.

"To all the fishermen, to all the farmers, to all the meatball vendors, to the driver, to the teacher, to the police, to the businessman and to all the professional community, I ask for all of you to work hard, work hard together," he said.

"This is a time where we have to overcome the next challenge, which is to build Indonesia to become a country that has political independence, economic independence and rich in culture.

"Unity and working hard is something that is very important for us and we will never be able to become one if we keep being divided.

"The cabinet that I lead will ensure that everyone in the world will feel the service of this government.

Indonesia's new president

"And I invite and ask everyone to work hard and follow their responsibility."

The Lowy Institute's Aaron Connelly said while Mr Widodo had a substantial mandate from the people, there would be difficulties in ensuring his unity message filtered to the top.

"Jokowi is the messenger of hope and change and he's brought a lot of hope to the country," he said.

"But he has said he is going to change the way politics is done in Jakarta.

"The legislature doesn't like this because they are comfortable with the way politics is done in Jakarta and pushed back hard over the last few weeks in an attempt to dismantle the infrastructure Jokowi might have used to implement the policies.

"The legislature which is controlled by his opponents is going to push back hard as he tries to put in clean candidates in those seats.

"That will be the next big battle for Jokowi."

After weeks of gridlock, Mr Widodo sought to improve ties when he met last week with opposition leader Prabowo Subianto and prominent opposition member Aburizal Bakrie, who congratulated him and pledged to support his government - though reserving the right to criticise when necessary.

Mr Widodo thanked Mr Prabowo during his inaugural speech as president, calling him "my friend", words that were met with applause.

Political analyst Kevin O'Rourke recently wrote in a research note that in reaching out to Mr Prabowo, "[Mr] Widodo's initiative suggests that the former Jakarta governor is becoming adept at navigating in national politics".

The new president, whose initial term is for five years, faces huge challenges to boost sagging growth, cut an unsettlingly large current account deficit that is weighing on the currency, and meet pledges to improve the circumstances of Indonesia's 240 million people.

During his campaign, he was mobbed by supporters who gathered in the tens of thousands at mass rallies.

Overnight, thousands gathered in Jakarta for a street-style party to celebrate the unprecedented ascent of the man who has been painted as the answer to some of Indonesia's major problems, like corruption.

But Mr Widodo himself has serious business to attend to in the coming days, needing to appoint a cabinet and get to work negotiating his policies through a hung parliament.