Anies Baswedan In Singapore: I Am Ready To Become A Presidential Candidate If There Is A Party To Nominate Me!

JAKARTA - DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has flown to Singapore in the past few days. There he was interviewed by Reuters about his plans after no longer serving as governor.

To the foreign media, Anies stated that he is ready to run as a presidential candidate in the 2024 election if there are political parties or coalitions of political parties who want to carry them.

"I am ready to run for president if a party nominates me," Anies told Reuters in an interview in Singapore, Thursday, September 15.

Anies revealed that he has room to communicate with all parties in order to participate in the political contestation in the next two years. Because, he is a political figure who is on an independent path and does not join any party.

Anies also responded to several results of a presidential candidate survey showing that his current electability is among the highest. "This unsolicited survey happened even before I campaigned, I think they gave me more credibility," said Anies.

Reuters also reviewed the 2017 Pilkada. At that time, identity politics strengthened and community groups became divided among Anies supporters and supporters of Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) who competed in order to get the position of DKI 1.

At that time, Anies did not seem to have done much to improve the identity politics that occurred due to the 2017 gubernatorial election. However, he claims that the policies while he is the Governor of DKI have again united the people of Jakarta.

"In the past, people assumed about me and what I was fighting for and what I would do at the office. Now, I've been in office for five years, so judge me based on reality and track record," he explained.

In Jakarta, Anies was also asked several times by the media about his plan to become a presidential candidate in the 2024 presidential election. However, he was still reluctant to answer straightforwardly. He admitted that he still wanted to focus on working as Governor of DKI until his term of office ended October 16.

"I will finish it first until October 16. After October 16, then the others. Now we are focusing until October 16," said Anies when met in South Jakarta on Friday, September 9.