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The ghost of identity politics and Anies’ presidential ambitions
Anies himself is tolerant and was raised in a modern and moderate Muslim family. But he seems not to have done enough to reconcile with Jakarta voters.
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Outgoing Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan visits the offices of The Jakarta Post in Palmerah, West Jakarta, on Sept. 9. (JP/Abdur Rahim)
Outgoing Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan is beating the drum for the presidential race in 17 months from now, although no party or electoral alliance has nominated him yet, and his supporters, including Islamic groups, have vowed to fight for him tooth and nail. You can imagine a repeat of the divisive Jakarta gubernatorial election in 2017, the ghost of which still haunts many.
In a visit to the offices of The Jakarta Post on Sept. 9, Anies openly stated his readiness to run in the Feb. 14, 2024, presidential election. And he also has a plan B. If he fails to realize his dream of becoming Indonesia’s eighth president, he will try his luck again in the Jakarta gubernatorial election on Nov. 27, 2024.
Apart from Anies, Defense Minister and Gerindra Party chair Prabowo Subianto has declared his quest for the presidency. Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo has consistently led opinion polls as a potential presidential candidate, but the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), of which he is a member, is reluctant to endorse him and may prefer House of Representatives Speaker Puan Maharani instead, although she is near the bottom in most public opinion polls.
Anies said he would consider a nomination a “call of duty”.
"I am getting ready at the moment. If [a party decides to] nominate me, I'll take it as a call of duty. I will do it,” he told the Post. "I'm open to both [gubernatorial and presidential elections].”
Anies reiterated his intentions in an interview with Reuters, pointing out that public opinion surveys consistently ranked him as a top contender in the presidential race, along with Prabowo and Ganjar.
