Anies Had Proposed The Name AHY To Be A Vice Presidential Candidate, Sudirman Said: Party Leaders Respond To Various Parties

Will Anies Baswedan/DOK PHOTO presidential candidate via Instagram @aniesbaswedan

JAKARTA - Sudirman Said confirmed that Anies Baswedan had conveyed the option of Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono as a vice presidential candidate who accompanied him.

The member of Team 8 of the Coalition for Change and Unity said there were various responses from supporting parties.

This was conveyed in response to the furore of Anies Baswedan's news that he had decided the General Chairperson of the National Awakening Party (PKB) Muhaimin Iskandar or Cak Imin as his vice presidential candidate.

"After going through the process of exploring, discussing, and eliminating, it came to the fact that the names available and willing are Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono," said Sudirman in a written statement, Thursday night, August 31.

Anies, continued Sudirman, conveyed this information to the NasDem Party, Democratic Party, and Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) last June. He said this was in accordance with the agreement at the beginning that he could filter but the final result remained with the leadership of the supporting party.

From the conversation, there were two responses given. First, there are those who agree and ask for a declaration to be made immediately.

"Second, there are those who are of the view that there is no need to rush to determine but wait for the end of registration while anticipating if another name option appears," he explained.

This result leaves no final decision regarding the vice president. Because there is no common ground between the parties supporting Anies.

"Because there has been no agreement, the process of determining the vice presidential candidate cannot be decided," said Sudirman.

Previously, the Democrats said that Anies Baswedan preferred the General Chair of the National Awakening Party (PKB) Muhaimin Iskandar alias Cak Imin to choose as his vice presidential candidate. In fact, this party is different in coalition because it has supported Prabowo Subianto as a presidential candidate.

The statement was made by the Secretary General of the Democratic Party, Teuku Riefky Harsya. He also claimed that Anies had actually agreed on AHY as his companion in the 2024 presidential election.

"On January 23, 2023 at a house on Lembang Street, Central Jakarta, Anies Baswedan invited Ketum AHY to 'pick up fate' as a pair of presidential and vice presidential candidates in 2024-2029 with Anies' agreement to bring the Nasdem Party, Ketum AHY brought the Democratic Party and the two of them worked together to invite PKS. This incident was witnessed by 4 people from Team 8, "he said in a written statement, Thursday, August 31.

Not getting there, Anies was said to have contacted AHY on June 12. The former governor of DKI Jakarta is said to have provided certainty and even claimed to have received messages from his mother and spiritual teachers.

However, suddenly there was a change on Tuesday night, August 29, 2023. Teuku said that Cak Imin was appointed as Anies vice presidential candidate without the knowledge of the Democratic Party and PKS in Nasdem Tower.

"A day later, August 30, 2023, Anies' presidential candidate in this very important matter did not convey directly to the highest leadership of PKS and the Democratic Party, but first sent Sudirman Said (Anies' team) to convey it," said Riefky.