A Winding Road to the KPU: Anies and Gus Imin’s Journey Breaks Through the Impossible
FINALLY, all doubts and anxieties among tens of millions of supporters across the nation vanished as Anies and Gus Imin emerged from the office of the Indonesian Election Commission (KPU RI) to meet their enthusiastic supporters. They were greeted with prostration and thunderous thanks from tens of thousands of people lining Imam Bonjol Street and Suropati Park.
The success of AMIN’s registration with the KPU that afternoon triggered an unstoppable euphoria among their supporters. Emotions erupted and were expressed in various ways and behaviors. The ecstatic crowd continuously chanted the word “Change!” while raising their fists in the air. Some simply stood silently, gazing towards the stage with smiles and tears in their eyes.
One word could describe the entire scene: “Orgasm.” The tumultuous mix of emotions that had been brewing within them due to the mistreatment of Anies and Gus Imin was released in an instant, leaving nothing behind.
The quality of the emotional connection between AMIN and their supporters sent shivers down my spine and led me to imagine the worst.
“Oh God, please don’t let anything bad happen to Anies and Gus Imin. We don’t need any more bloodshed in this country. We only need joyful democracy, as Gus Imin had hoped for,” I silently prayed.
It’s understandable why they were so overwhelmed by their feelings. This was the result of the arduous and winding path that Anies and AMIN had traversed to reach the KPU. All the mistreatment of Anies, in particular, had deeply wounded their feelings. Not to mention the cynical attitude of a pollster who had arrogantly bet his Alphard car that Anies would never make it to the KPU.
Becoming a presidential candidate seemed impossible for Anies. Which party would support him? Apart from the coalition parties of the ruling establishment, there were only the Democratic Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), and even that wasn’t enough. But who would have thought that the National Democratic Party (Partai Nasdem) would decide to back Anies? The unexpected move by Surya Paloh, the chairman of Partai Nasdem, was nothing short of a miracle for Anies and his supporters.
Shortly after Partai Nasdem decided to support Anies, the Democratic Party and PKS joined in, forming a coalition known as the Coalition for Change (Volume 1). With the formation of this coalition, Anies’ supporters across the nation breathed a sigh of relief, as they had enough backing to nominate Anies for the presidency.
But what happened next? The formation of the coalition didn’t bring peace of mind to Anies’ supporters. Ever since then, there were concerted efforts to thwart Anies through two simultaneous scenarios. First, pressing charges against Anies in the Formula E case. Second, attempting to lure one of the three parties in the Coalition for Change away.
The first scenario was led by Firli Bahuri, the chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). As revealed by Tempo newspaper, Firli repeatedly tried to escalate the legal status of the Formula E case to the level of investigation. Fortunately, there were still people of integrity within the KPK’s Investigative Team. Otherwise, Anies would have certainly become a suspect, and his presidential bid would have been over.
The second scenario targeted the Democratic Party and Partai Nasdem. The Democratic Party, borrowing the words of Deny Indrayana, was briefly courted by Moeldoko but to no avail. Partai Nasdem faced pressure to change its position by targeting Surya Paloh. At first, Bang Surya, as he’s affectionately known, was ostracized from the palace, and there were rumors that his businesses were being clipped.
He was neither tempted nor threatened. Bang Surya stood firm. Even when JG Plate, the Secretary-General of Partai Nasdem and the Minister of Communication and Information Technology, was arrested by the Attorney General’s Office, Bang Surya remained unshaken.
“This brother here, even if imprisoned or killed, will never change his support for Anies Baswedan,” declared the man from Tanah Rencong, his words filled with conviction.
What nearly derailed Anies’ presidential candidacy was the sharp difference in approach between Partai Nasdem and the Democratic Party regarding the declaration of the vice-presidential candidate. The Democratic Party urged an accelerated declaration, while Partai Nasdem refused, as they were waiting for other options that might better suit the coalition’s needs.
In reality, these differences couldn’t be reconciled. As a result, since August 27, 2023, Coalition for Change Volume 1 had practically disbanded, and Anies had lost his status as a vice-presidential candidate for almost 20 hours. In that situation, Bang Surya, with his sharp political instincts, secretly reached out to Gus Imin without Anies and the PKS’s knowledge.
Another miracle came Anies’ way. Just as all seemed lost, Gus Imin, who was already uncomfortable being part of a coalition with Prabowo, seized Bang Surya’s offer to be Anies’ running mate. On the evening of August 27, 2023, Coalition for Change Volume 2 was formed by Partai Nasdem and PKB. Anies Rasyid Baswedan and Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar transformed into “AMIN,” an acronym derived from their names.
Are they now safe and just waiting for their registration with the KPU? Far from it. In fact, AMIN’s supporters were thrown into turmoil by the KPK. Just a few days after the declaration, KPK summoned Gus Imin as a witness in a corruption case from 12 years ago.
For nearly half a month, AMIN’s supporters lived in the shadow of anxiety. They feared that, as the KPU registration approached, Anies or Gus Imin might suddenly be taken into KPK custody and wouldn’t emerge until after the registration period had passed.
In such a situation, all they could do was knock on the doors of the heavens and seek divine intervention. As Ebiet G Ade once sang, “No one can help us except the one up above.”
Whether there is a connection or not, what is certain is that just before the KPU registration, the individual suspected of orchestrating Anies’ sidelining for so long was reported to have become paralyzed and helpless. Furthermore, Firli Bahuri himself is currently awaited by the Jakarta Metropolitan Police.
Could all of this also be a miracle? For Anies and Gus Imin, it was indeed a miracle that managed to break through the seemingly impossible.
* Yarifai Mappeaty, Columnist
Artikel A Winding Road to the KPU: Anies and Gus Imin’s Journey Breaks Through the Impossible pertama kali tampil pada KBA NEWS.
English Edition, Anies Baswedan, Columnist, Gus Imin's Journey, Impossible, Road to the KPU:, Tanah Rencong, Yarifai Mappeaty
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