As a seasoned politician, Hasto certainly knows how to test whether Anies is truly qualified, authentic and can effectively prove himself a leading candidate in the 2024 presidential election.
RECENTLY public is shocked by a statement that on the surface is caught in a cynical tone, testing whether it was true that Anies has an undeniable noted performance. The tone of the question itself doubts the performance of Anies Baswedan during his tenure as governor.
Hasto class is not only the top functionaries of the ruling party. He is also a resident of Jakarta, of course he can witness with his own eyes whether Anies is classy or just a claimant.
I wish to see from the other side why and what is Hasto’s motivation for making statements that irritate Jakartan r esidentsand objective observers.
First I wish to say that what Hasto has done as Secretary General of the PDI-P cannot be said to be a personal statement, but in fact it can be interpreted as an attempt by the PDI-P party to find a complete and authentic a candidate leader to be reckoned with by his own party.
For Hasto, it may be difficult to ask Anies directly, the difficulty I mean is moral difficulty, because Hasto’s position has tended to see Anies from the opposite stand.
As an experienced politician, Hasto certainly knows how to effectively explore whether Anies’ real, undeniable achievements which have been recognized by the public, for the preparation of PDIP in making decisions towards the forthcoming presidential election in 2024.
Second, by throwing statements that sound “cynical” as a character that has been nurtured so far, it will certainly make Hasto look as if he is consistent in being Anies’ opposition, but actually Hasto wants to get more descriptions of Anies from various parties. Hasto is testing the water.
What Hasto did turns out to be successful in igniting several parties who have been consistently guarding Anies. Hasto only asked for 7 achievements of Anies, but instead Hasto not only got 7, but got more than that.
Like doing business, Hasto has benefited greatly from the large amount of information emerged on Anies’ achievement data in short time.
As a party secretary general, Hasto is certainly trying to carry out his party’s duties to find out who is a person outside the party who is eligible to be proposed as a presidential candidate. Anies becomes a target to be a part.
Why Anies? Because this is in line with the steps that have been taken by Puan Maharani as vice-chairperson of the Party’s central board executive.
Long ago there were two important events that brought Anies-Puan together. First, when Puan was asked by the media that she was very open with anyone, including Anies.
Puan’s statement was followed up by her presence at the Jakarta E-Prix event, early last June. Even Puan is not awkward and feels close and fluid with Anies. This is shown by her taking selfies with Anies.
In addition, Anies is not a cadre of any party, in line with what has been done by the NasDem Party which gave rise to Anies’ name with Andika Perkasa and Ganjar Pranowo. So for the PDI-P by making as an alternative candidate outside the party, it will become a meeting point for the interests of all parties.
For Hasto and PDI-P, Anies is certainly a sexy candidate that needs to be looked at, especially since Anies’ fever has begun to spread with declarations of support throughout the country. In fact, according to several survey agencies, Anies’ popularity and electability have consistently increased compared to Ganjar, who has been stagnant, and especiay Prabowo, who has tended to fall.
It is impossible for Hasto to question the achievements of Ganjar and Prabowo, because towards Ganjar, Hasto is a friend and of course in line with his wishes. So it is impossible for Hasto to disagree with the party’s central board. Moreover, PDI-P openly through Bambang Pacul and Trimedya Panjaitan have made a statement to the effect of doubting Ganjar’s ability.
Hasto seems to be able to smile now, because his nonsense bait gets a response that exceeds his expectations.
He can get a row of Anies’ achievements without having to sweat and spend a lot of time and money.
For PDI-P what Hasto has done is a proud achievement. So in terms of exploring Anies’ achievements, he can provide a lot of information for his own party’s consideration.
For PDI-P, as stated by the Chairperson Ms. Megawati Soekarnoputri, that the election of presidential and vice-presidential candidates is her own prerogative as right as trusted by the party.
There is no way that PDI-P will fight alone, only with Puan-Ganjar or Ganjar-Puan as a duet. Because this choice will make it difficult for PDI-P to win the presidential election again.
For Megawati, Ganjar is of course a threat to Sukarno’s descendants in the PDI-P, so the choice to win the presidential election from the Sukarno breed is an absolute bet.
It is impossible for PDI-P to fight alone, by displaying stock from its own party: the Puan-Ganjar or Ganjar-Puan duets.
For obvious reasons, this choice will make it difficult for PDI-P itself to win another presidential election.
To win the presidential election there is no option except for a coalition. The coalition that is built certainly refers to the choice of candidates with high popularity and electability.
Another factor to consider is that this nation is threatened with division due to the actions of buzzers and evil government officials who are having an affair with the oligarchs. It takes a candidate who can unite. Here again, Anies is a choice, because Anies comes from a group outside the palace which is the hope of those who are currently outside.
The choice to pair Anies with a candidate who is supported by the palace is a rational choice to save the nation.
Hopefully, the good intentions of all parties to make Anies as president can be realized to save Indonesia’s future.
Isa Ansori, Columnist
