Anies Visits Cikeas, Meets SBY In The Consolidation Room For The 2004 And 2009 Presidential Elections

Chairman of the High Council of the Democratic Party Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (left) opened a meeting with the presidential candidate Anies Baswedan (right) at Puri Cikeas, Bogor, Friday, August 25, 2023. (screenshots of ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the High Council of the Democratic Party, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), received the presidential candidate (candidate) Anies Baswedan in Cikeas, Bogor, West Java, Friday, August 25.

Anies visited Cikeas with a number of Team 8 members from the Change Coalition. They met at SBY's private library

SBY at the start of the meeting said his personal library was a 'historic' room that became important meeting places, especially for the consolidation of parties and coalitions ahead of the 2004 presidential election and 2009 presidential election.

"This room is also historic because meetings before the 2004 and 2009 presidential elections were also held in this place. Thank God Allah gave a way of victory," said SBY in front of Anies and Team 8 of the Change Coalition when opening the meeting, which was confiscated by Antara.

On the same occasion, SBY also revealed his close relationship with the late Taufik Kiemas, the husband of the PDI-P General Chair Megawati Soekarnoputri. SBY explained that his private library room was also the meeting place that determined the election of Taufik Kiemas as Chairman of the MPR for the 2009 '2013 period.

"(In this library, a related meeting is also held) an event that may not be widely known to people when the MPR chairman election is being held. In this room I say I support Pak Taufik Kiemas," said SBY as quoted from the video recording of the meeting shared by the Coordinator of the Democratic Party Spokesperson Herzaky Mahendra Putra.

After the opening, the meeting continued to be closed between SBY, Anies Baswedan and Team 8 of the Change Coalition.

During the meeting, the Chairman of the Democratic Party, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY), was not seen attending the library room attending the meeting. Meanwhile, Willy Aditya, who is a member of Team 8 representing NasDem, was also not present at the meeting. However, there is the General Treasurer of NasDem Ahmad Sahroni.

Anies Baswedan is currently promoted by two opposition parties, PKS and the Democratic Party, as well as a party supporting the government, NasDem. The three parties formed a team called Team 8 to arrange a strategy to win Anies in the 2024 presidential election, including working on the names considered as candidates for deputy president to accompany Anies.

The 8 teams consist of Teuku Riefky and Iftitah Sulaiman Suryanegara from the Democratic Party, Sugeng Suparwoto and Willy Aditya from NasDem, Sohibul Iman and Al-Muzammil Yusuf from PKS, then Sudirman Said and Dadang Dirgantara who were Anies Baswedan's envoys.