JAKARTA– Political economy observer from UI Watch, Hasril Hasan, stated that Anies seems set to be a candidate for Governor of the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (DKJ) this coming November. The next question is who will accompany him as the Deputy Governor.

He stated this on Saturday, June 15, 2024, responding to news discussing the possibility of Anies running for a second term. All this makes the discussion about Anies's potential opponents less prominent.

"Indeed, there are two people who might be Anies's potential opponents: former West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil and the current Acting Governor of Jakarta, Heru Budi Hartono. However, their names seem unable to stem the popularity of the former Minister of Education and Culture," said the alumnus of FE UI, class of 1967.

He added that Anies's track record is too impressive to be challenged by either of them. Ridwan has a good track record as Governor of West Java, but it's certainly not comparable to Anies, who is from a different region. Meanwhile, Heru has shown nothing praiseworthy in leading Jakarta since being appointed by Jokowi about two years ago.

What really captures people's attention is who will accompany Anies as the Deputy Governor. This figure is crucial because they are believed to play a role in boosting Anies's electability among Jakarta residents.

Some Names

The name of Jokowi's son, Kaesang Pangarep, the chairman of PSI, has been heard. Not to belittle, said the retired director of a famous company, his figure has nothing praiseworthy besides being the President's son with a scent of nepotism.

Another name is Andika Perkasa from PDIP. But this is quite risky considering the former Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces may not get approval, and the party may not agree to support Anies.

A likely name is from the cadres of the three parties expected to support Anies: PKB, PKS, and NasDem. It is widely heard that PKB will offer Ida Fauziah (currently the Minister of Manpower), PKS will push Mardani Ali Sera, and NasDem will provide Ahmad Sahroni.

These three names, he said, are good and suitable to accompany Anies. "But I tend to favor Irma Chaniago from NasDem. The reason is because she is a woman and from Minang," said Hasril, laughing, who also happens to be from West Sumatra.