The union of the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) under the banner of the Anies Baswedan and Muhaimin Amin presidential ticket has defied expectations. It is easy to see PKB and PKS as being at opposite ends of a traditionalist-modernist political spectrum. But when we take a longer view of history we can see these different religious orientations do not always preclude collaboration.