Gaspol Today: Door of Forgiveness Opened, Anies-AHY 2029?

Jakarta - Former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan visited the residence of Indonesia’s sixth President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) in Puri Cikeas, Bogor, West Java, on Saturday (21/3/2026), during the Eid al-Fitr 1447 Hijri halalbihalal moment.

Anies’s presence drew attention due to the previously strained relations with the Democrat Party following his political decision in the 2024 presidential election.

At that time, Anies chose to run with the General Chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) Muhaimin Iskandar, abandoning the coalition previously formed with the Democrats, PKS, and NasDem.

A member of the Democrat Party’s Supreme Council, Syarief Hasan, refrained from linking this meeting to political strategies ahead of the 2029 presidential election.

According to him, the meeting between Anies, SBY, and AHY was purely a matter of maintaining relations.

“The most important lesson taught is that to have a long life, one should increase silaturahmi,” said Syarief in the Gaspol! Podcast aired on Wednesday (1/4/2026) on Kompas.com’s YouTube.

“So, the situation makes us all introspect; we don’t talk about who did wrong first, who, and so on, but the important thing is that Anies coming is actually something positive,” he continued.

However, he confirmed that this was the first meeting after the end of 2023.

“So once again, there were no previous meetings, right? And this is the first meeting after the accident,” said Syarief.

Nevertheless, Syarief emphasised that the Democrats maintain boundaries in interpreting this closeness, especially in the context of future political coalitions.

“For us, there are boundaries on how far this flows. So I think it’s something normal, and we hope it is not misinterpreted by friends in the coalition,” he stated.

Even when asked about the possibility of the Democrats falling in love again, Syarief responded briefly.

“Yes, I think it’s very difficult (to make the Democrats fall in love),” he said.

So, will the door of forgiveness opened in Cikeas lead to a new axis in the 2029 presidential election? Watch the full details in the Gaspol Podcast with Syarief Hasan, premiering tonight, Wednesday (1/4/2026), exclusively on Kompas.com’s YouTube.