Anies Meets SBY, Analyst: Mission to Thaw Previously Strained Relations
Political communication analyst from Esa Unggul University, M. Jamiluddin Ritonga, stated that the meeting between Anies Baswedan and Indonesia’s sixth president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono or SBY, and Democrat Party General Chairman Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) at Puri Cikeas on Sunday (22/3/2026) was more than just a routine Eid al-Fitr gathering. He assessed the encounter as an implicit step by Anies to restore relations that had become strained during the 2024 presidential election.
“Explicitly, this is a normal tradition of young people respecting their elders during the Eid moment. However, implicitly, Anies appears to be using this occasion to thaw relations that were strained due to past political dynamics,” Jamiluddin said in his statement on Wednesday (25/3/2026).
Jamiluddin recalled that Anies’s relationship with the Cikeas family had gone through a difficult phase when Anies was suddenly paired with Muhaimin Iskandar. Previously, there had been widespread rumours that Anies would team up with AHY.
He viewed this Eid al-Fitr moment as the right time for Anies to humble himself and set aside sectoral egos. He believed Anies wanted his relationship with SBY to become clear again.
“That hope is likely to be welcomed positively by SBY, given his reputation for wisdom and being far from vengeful attitudes. This Eid gathering serves to reconnect the bonds of brotherhood that were once severed due to conflicts of interest,” he added.
Furthermore, Jamiluddin saw significant potential impact from the restoration of this relationship on the national political map. According to him, SBY could become a bridge figure to reunite Anies with the president-elect, Prabowo Subianto.
Considering the personal closeness between SBY and Prabowo, SBY’s position is deemed strategic to convince Prabowo to embrace Anies for political stability amid global uncertainties.
“Prabowo often prioritises inclusive politics. If SBY acts as a mediator, the chances of Prabowo accepting Anies are wide open. This is important to soothe Anies’s support base, which is known to be quite large and militant,” Jamiluddin explained.
SBY held the Eid al-Fitr gathering at his residence in Cikeas. Several figures attended, from the daughter of Indonesia’s fourth president Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur), Yenny Wahid, to former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan.
The Eid al-Fitr event moment was uploaded on the Instagram account of special staff to the Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY), Merry Riana, on Sunday (22/3/2026). In her caption, Merry wrote about the photos uploaded during the Eid moment in Cikeas.
“First Eid in Cikeas. Please forgive my physical and spiritual shortcomings,” Merry wrote.