Anies is Online: Bold or Risky?

Introduction

The 2024 Presidential Election in Indonesia is approaching its culmination point. Candidates for the top two governmental posts are intensifying their campaign efforts to garner support from the populace. One recent campaign strategy that has captured public attention is the “Desak Anies” and “Abah Online” campaigns, conducted by one of the presidential candidates, Anies Baswedan.

Desak Anies entails dialogues and interactive question-and-answer sessions between Anies and voters. According to reports from his campaign team, Anies Baswedan has conducted the online campaign 14 times since August 2023. On the other hand, “Abah Online” is a moniker signifying a fatherly figure attributed to him by his supporters after his frequent live TikTok sessions, where he interacts with and gives advice to followers.

Swing Voters as Campaign Targets

Such campaign models could be highly effective in targeting swing voters. Swing voters are defined as individuals who have yet to decide on their political preferences, holding the potential to alter the projected outcome of the election, thus underlining their significance. As they are making up their minds, this group tends to consider various factors, including backgrounds, visions, missions and other aspects of worth taken into account. In Indonesia, the number of swing voters is considerable. According to the latest survey by Indikator, they make up 7.8% of total voters. However, data from Litbang Kompas suggests a significantly higher figure, reaching 28.7%. Indeed, the two survey institutions did not explicitly define what constitutes a swing voter, but the government has determined this group as mostly the millennials with frequent usage of the Internet.

Against this background, why are campaign models like Desak Anies and Abah Online essential for swing voters?

Desak Anies: Close Engagement with Voters

Desak Anies can be categorized as a practical and interactive strategies aimed at capturing the attention of swing voters, despite electability surveys consistently placing the Anies-Muhaimin (AMIN) duo trailing behind either or both rival candidates. However, this approach is noteworthy, opening doors to a fresh and brilliant campaign trend through open dialogues and discussions between the candidate and his supporters, swing voters, detractors and followers of his political rivals. Such engagement is also not exclusive. Despite his academic background, Desak Anies is not only accessible to urban, educated and middle-class voters. The programme has also reached out to those such as traders and fishermen. Participants are encouraged to ask questions on even the most sensitive topics in these events, potentially sparking debates.

For instance, during a recent Desak Anies event in Jakarta, comedian Kemal Pahlevi posed sensitive questions about the LGBT group. Anies then responded that personally, he disapproves of the LGBT community because it is not in line with his religious principles. Nevertheless, Anies admitted that he accepts LGBT individuals as Indonesian citizens, affirming their entitlement to equal treatment in employment. Furthermore, Anies emphasized that there is one aspect that the state cannot provide for the LGBT community, namely the right to marriage. He reasoned that Indonesian law is regulated based on religion, aligning with the first principle of Pancasila.

The atmosphere in such events allow attendees to freely raise critical questions, despite the sensitivity that they might entail. Carrying the slogan “Wakanda No More, Indonesia Forever”, Anies attempts to convince potential voters that freedom of speech and expression will be upheld. This includes criticizing him and his government, should he be elected as president. Currently, Indonesia’s image as the bastion of democracy and freedom of expression is looking grim. Policies, rules and regulations with “rubber articles” such as the Electronic Information and Transactions Law (UU ITE) have casted fear in the hearts of people who wish to criticize the state. As such, many online have resorted to terms such as “Konoha” and “Wakanda” in lieu of Indonesia when expressing criticism. However, events such as Desak Anies aims to ameliorate this image, making people feel safe and secure in their criticism of the state. Anies has even promised to revise UU ITE, believing this can be accomplished early in his term if elected.

Although there is no guarantee that this campaign model can influence swing voters to vote for AMIN, several positive aspects arise from this campaign program. Desak Anies as a platform differs from the more traditional campaign mode, usually involving a rally or a speech conducted in a large venue, attended by a mass of supporters. Desak Anies bridge that gap that usually exists in this traditional mode, as candidates would deliver their speech from a podium, without any meaningful, close interaction with the people in attendance. It should also be noted that such format as Desak Anies has the potential of improving the quality of democracy in Indonesia. Through this platform, Anies educates the public regarding the significance of active participation in the democratic process. It has also stimulated the populace to engage more actively in expressing their aspirations, grievances and expectations to the presidential candidates. Besides, the inclusive nature of Desak Anies encourages a more moderate discussion and minimizes the risk of extreme views from flourishing. This is because the audience could directly engage Anies to pose queries or debate his points.

As such, Desak Anies as a campaign format could attract voters who are: 1) fatigued with patriarchal, distant political figures and; 2) concerned with the contracting democratic space in the country. Whether these groups represent a portion of today’s swing voters remains to be seen.

Abah Online as a Counter-Narrative

Anies has also ventured into the realm of social media to form counter-narratives against his political rivals, especially on TikTok. This has a potential to grab more voters, as TikTok users in Indonesia amount to 113 million users. Moreover, this social media platform is predominantly utilized by Gen Z.

Anies’ approach to TikTok is vastly different from his real-world engagements. TikTok allows him to engage in interactive political communication, involving interactions between Anies and the audience through live TikTok shows. Anies has conducted several of this shows via his private account, inviting followers to “accompany me on the street” and interact “with Anies at home”. Remarkably, the number of views Anies achieves in one live session ranges from 300,000 to 400,000 viewers.

Anies’ strategy is perceived as an effort to reach and engage Gen Z voters. Unlike Desak Anies, his live TikTok shows adopt a more relaxed, humorous and inspirational language. His followers even dubbed him “Abah Online” due to his motivational and lightly educational content.

For instance, a follower mentioned not having a father and Anies responded by offering himself as a father figure for those without one. Similarly, another follower who was struggling in life received encouragement from Anies, who said, “When difficult situations arise, remember this is not the first time you have experienced discomfort. You will get through this.”

Often, Anies’ live TikToks shows are natural and humorous, displaying moments where Anies struggles to end the live session, evoking amusing reactions from followers who see him as an ordinary person not well-versed in technology.

The utilization of online campaigns by Anies has proven to be highly successful in captivating the sentiments of the certain demographics for several reasons. Firstly, Anies’ live sessions emerge as a rival to Prabowo Subianto’s “gemoy” dance videos, which had dominated TikTok feed previously. Through his casual but engaging appearance, Anies offers an anti-thesis to Prabowo’s campaign which had solely relied on the latter’s gimmicky dance videos. Anies’ campaign seeks to populate TikTok’s For Your Page (FYP) tab with a fatherly figure’s personal insights, and advice and important ideas, which can be attractive to the Gen Z.

Secondly, presumably without even trying, Anies’ campaign has managed to conjure his image as a K-pop idol through the Anies Bubble phenomenon on the platform X (previously Twitter). This fandom account mythologizes Anies as a faux K-pop idol, symbolized by the owl emoticon – representing intelligence and wisdom – and given the “Korean” name “Park Ahn Nice” (Pak Anies). This account provides information related to Anies’ campaign activities, written mostly in Hangul and feature snippets from Anies’ live TikTok sessions.

Such an initiative by his supporters might have won Anies the interest of K-pop fans across different generations, without having to leverage on the magnetic pull of real K-pop idols. In comparison, presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo’s proposal to invite K-pop idols to hold concerts in Indonesia was not well received by the fans. This is because he is seen as politically exploiting the stellar fame of K-pop idols for his agenda. The combined effort by Anies’ official campaign and his supporters online could prove to be a winning formula for Anies to grab the votes from people of various backgrounds, including some quarters of the swing voters.

Conclusion

The presence of Anies Baswedan as a presidential candidate brings a breath of fresh air to the electoral contest. Capitalizing on his public speaking skills, he conducts educational and inspirational campaigns. As former academician, Anies introduces two groundbreaking and inspiring campaign initiatives.

In the physical realm, the Desak Anies format of campaign establishes two-way communication with the people, not only promoting his own programs but also actively seeking constructive feedback as well as suggestions from the public, thereby fostering an inclusive campaign.

In the digital world, Anies harnesses technological advancements via live TikTok sessions as a medium to connect with and appeal to the hearts of the Gen Z. By delivering motivational messages that resonate with the lives of Gen Z, he assumes the role of an online fatherly figure, hence the moniker “Abah Online”. Yet his online mythology is not restricted to this, as he his image has also been transformed into something akin to a K-pop idol. Consequently, the outcome of his innovative campaigns is eagerly anticipated. Even if he were to face defeat, the refreshing and positive formats set by Anies are likely to influence future candidates.