Yustinus Patris Paat, Jakarta – After initially indicating he was open to becoming a running mate of Anies Baswedan in the Jakarta gubernatorial election, Kaesang Pangarep said on Friday that he and the former governor were unlikely allies due to their differences.
The youngest son of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo now signals that he won't team up with Anies for the November 27 election.
"For your information, I think you all know that Mr. Anies and I are different," Kaesang said in Jakarta when reporters asked about his potential pairing with Anies.
However, Kaesang didn't go into details about that statement.
He only mentioned that he never established communication with Anies, who is seeking reelection after leading Jakarta from 2017 to 2022.
Kaesang, the chairman of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), has a chance to win the nomination either as a gubernatorial or vice-gubernatorial candidate.
"I'm okay with that as long as I receive support from political parties. It's not about how popular we are, but the most important thing is the sincere will to work for the Jakarta people," Kaesang said.
Anies has so far received support from the National Awakening Party (PKB), which needs to build a coalition to be eligible to nominate a candidate.