Formerly Supporting Now Attacked All Over Anies, Democrat: Maybe Prabowo Can't Imagine

Left to right: Ganjar, Prabowo and Anies, three presidential candidates fought in the inaugural 2024 presidential election debate on the evening of Tuesday 12 December. (doc VOI)

JAKARTA - Deputy Secretary General of the Democratic Party Jansen Sitindaon commented on the presidential candidate number 1, Anies Baswedan, who attacked presidential candidate number 2, Prabowo Subianto in a debate last night. Anies alluded to Prabowo by calling the opposition, business and insiders (ordal). According to Jansen, Anies has completely attacked people who previously made his way as Governor of DKI Jakarta. "I can't imagine maybe Mr. Prabowo, Mr. @aniesbaswedan 'attacked it' all out last night. By the person he supported, lifted, maybe even paid after being 'disbanded' or reshuffled from the cabinet for some time. Then he supported and made him governor. And now it is very honorable. Even history later noted that today is one of the presidential candidates," Jansen said via his X social media account, Wednesday, December 13. Jansen considered it natural for Prabowo to be surprised to bring up his services for Anies when the candidate for the Coalition for Change touched on the matter of the opposition. "At the moment of 'Mas Anies.. Mas Anies..' that maybe last night Pak Prabowo's memory turned back to a few years ago. When Mr. Anies came, he gave full support to become the Governor of DKI and finished," he explained. "Because every time we politicians actually have their own historical travel moments where we are assisted by others and then can get to this point," said Jansen.

However, Jansen did not mind the context of attacks in the debate. Because according to him, it could indeed be a strategy from the opposing team to raise its electability. "Especially if it has been part of a strategy designed from the start. Either to fend off arguments or to KO Pak Prabowo, all of them. It could be that on stage Mas Anies seems to have won the debate, but the question of whether it is effective and even has electoral value in the eyes of viewers who watch us later. This public name varies from person to person, of course, everyone has their own judgment," he explained. Although other camps attacked Prabowo completely, Jansen assessed that Prabowo would continue to apply the same thing, namely not bringing down the opponent's side. "Pak Prabowo could have responded to this a little differently after a little surprise last night. Or Pak Prabowo could have continued to respond in the same way, being taken casually because from the start he came to this debate with no intention of dropping / degrading any opponent. That is why we deserve to wait for the next debate," he said.