JAKARTA– Ahmad Iman Sukri, PKB Executive Committee Chairman, commented on PKS's decisive move to nominate Anies Baswedan as the governor candidate for Jakarta in 2024, stating that this action has clarified the political landscape. Efforts to block Anies' candidacy have completely failed, and the coalition of PKS, PKB, and NasDem is solidifying again.

"Now the direction of Jakarta's 2024 political pendulum is clear. This happened after PKS announced Anies' candidacy. Anies is now certain to run and is unstoppable. For PKB, it’s comfortable because our partner doesn't monopolize Anies; he's everyone’s candidate," Iman told in Jakarta, Wednesday afternoon, June 26, 2024.

Iman explained that PKS alone, with only 18 seats in the DPRD, could not meet the requirement of 22 seats necessary for candidacy, necessitating support from other parties. "Now, PKB, with our 10 seats, completes this. Anies now has at least 28 seats in the Jakarta DPRD, far surpassing the nomination requirement."

"NasDem will also support Anies’ candidacy in Jakarta. If this happens, the support for Anies will increase even more. Not to mention if PDI Perjuangan joins later. This consolidation will strengthen as the nomination registration deadline on August 27, 2024, is still far off," he added.

The clear shift in Jakarta's electoral pendulum is evident from Anies' high popularity and electability in the region. The significant support during the presidential election, where Anies narrowly lost by only a few tens of thousands of votes in Jakarta to Prabowo-Gibran, remains unshaken. The majority of Jakarta residents support Anies.

"We know, Anies remains unrivaled by other candidates in the 2024 Jakarta gubernatorial election. If PKB and PKS have joined forces, then the votes will be even more significant. Both PKS and PKB have their constituents in Jakarta. And it's important to note, the presidential election is different from the gubernatorial election. For example, in the presidential election, there are votes from abroad, but not in the gubernatorial election. So, we are confident that the potential voter support for Anies is still much greater," Iman Syukri, who will serve as a DPR RI member for the 2024-2029 period, revealed.

Regarding the potential support from PDI Perjuangan, which will eventually also back Anies in the Jakarta gubernatorial race, Iman said the chances are now very high. This is especially true as PDI Perjuangan cannot advance its own candidate in Jakarta.
"The situation is different from the 2019 gubernatorial election. At that time, PDI Perjuangan was the winner in Jakarta. Now, the situation has changed, PKS is the winner. Naturally, PKS now indeed swings the political pendulum in Jakarta."

"It would be ideal if PKS, NasDem, PKB, and PDI Perjuangan could unite in Jakarta, the most important city in Indonesia. They would symbolize the unification of the nation's strength and ideology, both Islamic and nationalist. And this proves that there is no real dichotomy between nationalists and Islamists in society," Iman concluded.

Regarding the chances of President Jokowi's son, Kaesang Pangarep, running in the 2024 Jakarta gubernatorial election, Iman stated that his chances are increasingly slim. Besides many saying that his candidacy would be a ‘dead card,’ the political pendulum in Jakarta can no longer be controlled by his father's waning power.

"Once again, the political pendulum in Jakarta's gubernatorial election at the end of Jokowi's tenure was clearly marked by PKS advancing Anies as the gubernatorial candidate for the 2024 election," he asserted.