Jakarta. The level of support the National Democratic Party (Nasdem) gives to Anies Baswedan for his reelection bid as Jakarta governor won’t be the same as when they collaborated for the recent presidential election, an analyst said on Monday.

Nasdem seems to be avoiding all-out efforts to help Anies return to Jakarta’s top job, marking a drastic change in the party's approach, said Anthony Leong, an expert in political communication.

During the presidential election, which was held in tandem with the legislative election, Nasdem needed Anies as a vote-getter among Muslim voters and those who opposed President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s leadership to increase its share of House of Representatives seats, Anthony said.

Nasdem even abandoned the pro-government coalition in the middle of the president’s second term to nominate Anies, who is widely regarded as a staunch critic of Jokowi.

The strategy worked well for Nasdem, which gained 10 more House seats for a total of 69 seats from the last election.

"Nasdem is currently rethinking its position to further its major political agendas for the party’s bigger interests. Nasdem Chairman Surya Paloh has reconciled with President Jokowi and restored their relationship that had somewhat broken during the presidential election,” Anthony said.

"We know Jokowi has never supported Anies, either during the presidential election or the Jakarta gubernatorial election. Nasdem is fully aware of Jokowi’s stance on this, and therefore the party didn’t immediately move forward and nominate Anies for the upcoming election," said Anthony, director of the research firm PoliEco Digital Insights Institute.

Anies won the Jakarta gubernatorial election in 2017 but lost the February presidential election to Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, whose running mate is Jokowi’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

"Nasdem’s cautious approach toward Anies’ gubernatorial bid reflects the party’s attempt to maintain a good relationship with President Jokowi and prioritize its long-term political agenda," Anthony said.

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