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Anies camp splits over Yenny Wahid as potential running mate
The parties in the KPP electoral alliance have had another spat over Anies' running mate, but the ex-Jakarta governor's spokesman says the 2024 presidential contender has made up his mind and it's only a matter of timing before he makes his pick public.
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Former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan (left) and NasDem Party chairman Surya Paloh (right) speak to reporters on July 24, 2019 at NasDem’s headquarters in Central Jakarta. (kompas.com/Ryana Aryadita Umasugi)
Another spat has broken out in the three-way alliance backing opposition figure Anies Baswedan over his running mate in the 2024 presidential election, after the NasDem Party touted Yenny Wahid, the daughter of former president and Islamic scholar Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, as one of the most suitable candidates.
But the Democratic Party was quick to fire back at the suggestion, as the party wants to see its chairman Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono run for vice president alongside the former Jakarta governor.
Yenny reportedly has long been on the shortlist for Anies’ running mate, despite her poor electability in opinion polls. But NasDem recently proposed that she should run alongside Anies because of her ties to the nation’s largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), which was founded by her paternal great-grandfather Hasyim Asy’ari.
“She has both a national and international perspective and has global connections. She also has extraordinary diplomacy skills while also representing [women] and NU,” NasDem deputy head Ahmad Ali said on Friday, as quoted by Kompas.com.
"So, it would be naive to say that Yenny Wahid is not one of the most qualified people to be accompanying Anies," Ahmad said. “I personally will be very happy if Anies chooses her, but that’s not within my mandate, it’s in Anies’ hands.”
Ever since NasDem, the Democrats and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) formed the Coalition of Change for Unity (KPP) in March and named Anies as its presidential candidate, the alliance has been unable to decide on his running mate, ultimately resorting to leaving the choice up to Anies from a handful of vetted candidates.
Democrat spokesman Herzaky Mahendra Putra struck down NasDem’s suggestion of Yenny, urging the party to toe the KPP line and refrain from pressuring Anies.
