Indonesia ex-presidential contender Anies in no rush to form political party

Former Jakarta governor says he will initially focus on 'social work'

Former Indonesian presidential candidate Anies Baswedan in an interview with Nikkei Asia in Tokyo said he would focus on social work rather than forming a political party after failing to secure backing to run in November's presidential election. © (Photograph by Shoichiro Taguchi for Nikkei Asia)

SHOICHIRO TAGUCHI and ERWIDA MAULIA, Nikkei staff writers

September 26, 2024 07:55 JST

TOKYO/JAKARTA - Former Indonesian presidential contender Anies Baswedan has said he will focus on social work rather than rush to form a political party, telling Nikkei Asia he would only take the latter step if it would be "impactful."

The Jakarta ex-governor who cited "pressure" against one-time allies that ended his attempt to seek reelection in November to run the capital again said his most likely next move would be to form a mass organization. "We're not going to do anything related to a political party anytime soon," he said in an interview during a visit to Tokyo last week. "We'll be focusing more on social work.