If Wins No Debt Pays, Anies Baswedan Claims As A New Mindset Of National Politics

Anies Baswedan (Photo: IG @aniesbaswedan)

JAKARTA - Former DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, clarified the debt issue of Rp50 billion while advancing for the 2017 DKI Jakarta Pilkada. According to him, the debt was completed when he and his partner, Sandiaga Uno won the contestation of the DKI Pilgub. Anies then mentioned a new mindset in national politics, in order to clear up the debt issue of Rp50 billion. That, the contribution or support of campaign funds used and recorded as debt should be completed when the candidate pair wins the Pilkada.

Not just the other way around, it becomes a burden that must be paid off when it has become a government official and is entangled in politics in return.

"There is something I want to underline, why if you lose pay?" Anies said in a video uploaded to Merry Riana's YouTube channel, Friday, February 10, evening.

Anies said, if he loses, he will be outside the government so he has the opportunity to make money to repay his debt. The trick, it can be through business or business. But if so, then he is not required to pay because he is not looking for money in the government to pay off debts.

"If I win, I enter the government, I do not look for money in the government to pay that. Otherwise, I have to collect money to pay off debts. Isn't this what trapped us all this time? With fund raising practices for pilkada costs," he explained.

"Yesterday, on the other hand, if I lose outside the government, it's legal to make money, please, I have a business," continued Anies.

Because they won the 2017 Pilkada and entered the government, said Anies, there is no obligation to pay off the debts used for campaign costs. He claims that the campaign donation is a form of support so that the winning candidate can bring better changes to his region.

That's exactly the support to bring Jakarta to a better place. That's a new mindset," he said.

It's just that, Anies added, because there are other parties who reveal the debt agreement, then he feels the need to explain to the public. Anies is ready if the campaign donation agreement document is recorded as debt and paid off if the win is shown to the public if needed. "There is a document, if one day it needs to be seen, it's okay, because there is nothing extraordinary there. So there is no debt that must be repaid today because the Pilkada is finished. It becomes strange if it is discussed now," said Anies. Anies hopes that this issue will be a reference in the future. That providing support is for a change is not an investment that must be paid in the future in the form of privilege.

"I hope that this pattern becomes a reference material to think about, that supporting it is for change, not for investment. To be returned later in the form of privilege-privilege," said Anies Baswedan.