Anies Baswedan Needs The Jakarta Gubernatorial Election As A Political Stage, It Doesn't Matter

Indonesian President Anies Baswedan's candidate at the PKS DPP office, South Jakarta, Saturday (27/4/2024). (Between/Walka Marison/am)

JAKARTA - The 2024 Jakarta Regional Head Election (Pilkada) is predicted to be still hot even though its status is no longer the capital city. Anies Baswedan is said to be advancing in the regional elections to fight for the position he has occupied from 2017-2022.

Anies Baswedan ran in the 2024 Presidential Election (Pilpres), in pairs with Muhaimin Iskandar. The number 1 pair was promoted by the Change Coalition which contains the National Democratic Party (NasDem), the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the Ummat Party.

However, the candidate pair, who is popular with the name AMIN, lost in the simultaneous vote throughout Indonesia on February 14.

After being declared unable to occupy the number one seat in Indonesia, Anies' name has recently been widely linked to the Pilkada of the Special Region of Jakarta, although he is not the only one who is widely reported to be running in the gubernatorial election later this year.

Golkar politician Ridwan Kamil, the General Treasurer of the NasDem Party who is also famous with the name crazy rich Tanjung Priok, Ahmad Saroni, is also widely reported to be advancing in the regional elections.

However, the emergence of Anies' name in the Jakarta DK Governor candidate market received its own spotlight.

Not only will he lower his political class, but the label as a power-hungry figure also has the potential to be pinned to Anies if the man who was born on May 7, 1969 remains determined to advance in the gubernatorial election, as expressed by political observer Jamiluddin Ritonga.

"If Anies is willing to move forward, of course people will judge him as a person who is hungry for power. Any position he will accept as long as he can sit in front of him," said the observer from Esa Unggul University.

However, a different opinion was expressed by the Executive Director of the Voxpol Center Research and Consulting Pangi Syarwi Chaniago. He assessed that Anies still needed a stage to maintain electability until 2029.

"Anies must not dim his lights, he must still have a stage. This means that he must not stop, must not die as a politician is to have a position as governor," Pangi told VOI.

"By becoming governor, it means he has a program, keeping his electability good because he remains in the public spotlight," he said again.

Meanwhile, regarding the status that is no longer the capital city when the regional elections are held on November 27, Pangi is sure that it will not change Jakarta's prestige as the electoral district that has attracted the most attention.

"Is Jakarta still sexy, yes, it must be sexy. Because it remains a regional election which is the calculation of many people," said Pangi.

Meanwhile, political observer from Al Azhar University Indonesia Andriadi Achmad said that the possibility of Anies running for the Jakarta DK Pilkada was very large and potential. Anies is considered successful in bringing significant changes and development when he was Governor of DKI Jakarta 2017-2022.

In fact, if the elections take place in 2022, then it would be a potentially large Anies Baswedan to continue and win for a second term.

"In the future, Anies Baswedan as the Governor of DK Jakarta, in my opinion, is not a decline, because he currently does not have any position after retiring for the first period of the Governor of DKI Jakarta and the 2024 Presidential Candidate," Andriadi told VOI.

"Therefore, in my opinion, for the 2024 Jakarta DK Pilkada, it is necessary to follow Anies Baswedan," he added.

Andriadi explained several reasons why Anies continued to run in the Jakarta Pilkada in addition to continuing the construction of the Jakarta DK for the second period which was delayed.

"Second, winning the 2024 DK Jakarta regional election can be Anies Baswedan's capital and stepping stone for the 2029 presidential election contestation," he said.

So far, there has not been a single political party that clearly encourages and supports Anies Baswedan to run in the 2024 Jakarta DK Pilkada. Even PKS, PKB and Nasdem as supporters of the coalition of changes in the 2024 presidential election already have self-chases.

"We'll see later in favor of the time for the registration of the Jakarta DK Pilkada candidate," concluded Andriadi.