The Christian running for Jakarta's City Hall
Basuki Purnama was the first Christian, and a Chinese-Indonesian, to lead a Muslim-majority region as district head in 2005. Now he is aiming to be Jakarta's next governor, reports The Jakarta Globe.
Screenshot from The Jakarta Globe
- Indonesia
- September 6, 2011
Campaigning for public office in Indonesia invariably entails handing out cash or free T-shirts to voters, but don’t expect either when Basuki Purnama mounts his bid to become Jakarta’s next governor in 2012. (Febriamy Hutapea, The Jakarta Globe)
Instead, Basuki, popularly known as Ahok, will be looking to the people to give toward what he brands a breakthrough move to change the capital.
“I want to change this city, so I need the people’s support to fulfill it. We should make the change together,” he says.
Even among the batch of eyebrow-raising candidates lining up for a shot at City Hall next year, Ahok stands out. He was the first Christian, and a Chinese-Indonesian to boot, to head up a Muslim-majority region when he was elected district head of East Belitung in Bangka-Belitung province in 2005.
Though he has largely refrained from splashing out on the self-aggrandizing billboards that other prospective candidates have put up all over the city — “Not all candidates on the banners can win the people’s hearts,” he says — prior experience leads him to believe that once his candidacy is approved by the elections commission, his popularity will get a boost.
...
Ahok started as a businessman but shut down his quarry business because of the frustration of dealing with a corrupt bureaucracy in Bangka-Belitung.
He was always expected to pay bribes to win tenders or grease a few palms to ensure his business ran smoothly. And because he refused to play along, his business suffered, he says.
“If my goal was just to make a profit, then I’d be rolling in it,” he says. “ The more corrupt the system, the better the business. But my conscience just couldn’t deal with that.”
So his response was to confront the system head on. He immersed himself in the local political scene, and in 2004 made a successful run for a seat on the East Belitung legislative council.
FULL STORY
Graft Fighter Guns for Jakarta’s Top Office (Jakarta Globe)
Instead, Basuki, popularly known as Ahok, will be looking to the people to give toward what he brands a breakthrough move to change the capital.
“I want to change this city, so I need the people’s support to fulfill it. We should make the change together,” he says.
Even among the batch of eyebrow-raising candidates lining up for a shot at City Hall next year, Ahok stands out. He was the first Christian, and a Chinese-Indonesian to boot, to head up a Muslim-majority region when he was elected district head of East Belitung in Bangka-Belitung province in 2005.
Though he has largely refrained from splashing out on the self-aggrandizing billboards that other prospective candidates have put up all over the city — “Not all candidates on the banners can win the people’s hearts,” he says — prior experience leads him to believe that once his candidacy is approved by the elections commission, his popularity will get a boost.
...
Ahok started as a businessman but shut down his quarry business because of the frustration of dealing with a corrupt bureaucracy in Bangka-Belitung.
He was always expected to pay bribes to win tenders or grease a few palms to ensure his business ran smoothly. And because he refused to play along, his business suffered, he says.
“If my goal was just to make a profit, then I’d be rolling in it,” he says. “ The more corrupt the system, the better the business. But my conscience just couldn’t deal with that.”
So his response was to confront the system head on. He immersed himself in the local political scene, and in 2004 made a successful run for a seat on the East Belitung legislative council.
FULL STORY
Graft Fighter Guns for Jakarta’s Top Office (Jakarta Globe)
