Cempaka Culture and Tourism: First Ethnic Chinese Governor of Jakarta Takes Indonesia Forward

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“… The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. …”

Saturday, August 23, 2014

First Ethnic Chinese Governor of Jakarta Takes Indonesia Forward

Jakarta Globe, Tobias Basuki, Aug 22, 2014

(JG Graphics/Josep Tri Ronggo Laksono)

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known as Ahok, will be the first ethnic Chinese to govern Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta.

Ahok is not the first ethnic Chinese to gain political prominence in Indonesia, where the Muslim-Javanese group dominates political positions. But he may be the first to break unspoken barriers of expected behaviours and norms of an ethnic Chinese participating in politics.

The outspoken and sometimes brash deputy governor will take over Jakarta’s helm when the incumbent Joko Widodo, the country’s president-elect better known as Jokowi, takes office in October.

Ahok is a distinctive figure in Indonesian politics. This is not simply due to his “double minority” status as Chinese Indonesian and Christian but also a result of how he regards or disregards those labels.

In Indonesia, ethnic Chinese were subjected to discriminatory laws during Suharto’s dictatorship. When Suharto fell from power in 1998, they were the targets of anti-Chinese riots.

Ahok never shied away from his ethnicity. In his campaigns and when dealing with political situations, he often mentions his Chinese heritage. He has told self-deprecating jokes by referring to himself as a pork-eating infidel. When he ran for governor of Bangka Belitung, an archipelagic province off Sumatra, his campaign material had a picture of him in full Mandarin outfit.

But Ahok does not use his ethnicity to gain popular support. While some Chinese Indonesians form part of his support, his base of voters has never been built on ethnicity or identity politics.

This is different from most Chinese Indonesians who climbed the “political track.” Elected leaders of Chinese ethnicity would typically be in charge in areas with a large Chinese population such as Singkawang, West Kalimantan.

There are exceptions. The recently elected mayor of the Central Java city of Malang, Mochamad Anton, is Chinese Indonesian. But Anton is a Muslim. His ethnicity is diluted by his religious identity.

Anton holds the prestigious title of haji. He is also part of the local Nahdlatul Ulama chapter, Indonesia’s biggest Islamic mass organisation. His appointment has not created much buzz due to these factors.

Some Chinese Indonesians gain political prominence by being appointed as ministers or to other bureaucratic posts. In such cases, the president or regional leaders appoint them mostly for their skills, usually in the fields of economics, finance and trade.

This is where Ahok is different from other prominent Chinese Indonesians. Ahok is not a technocrat. He has held political positions in areas where Chinese Indonesians are minorities.

Ahok started his political career in a region where his ethnicity is not political capital to run for local government. He first served as a councilor in Belitung Timur, in the Bangka-Belitung Islands made famous by “Laskar Pelangi” (“Rainbow Warriors”) author Andrea Hirata. He became district head of Belitung Timur in 2005.

After two years as district head, Ahok ran for Bangka-Belitung governor and lost in a close race. He continued his political progress by becoming a parliamentary member representing the region.

He rose to his current position by adamantly pursuing his political ambitions. When not endorsed by his party (Golkar) to run as governor of Jakarta in 2012, he ran as an independent before the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party a recruited him. He then ran as deputy governor with Jokowi.

But does Ahok’s rise show a shift in Indonesia’s sociopolitical atmosphere in regard to identity politics? Do Indonesian people no longer care about their leaders’ ethnicity and religion?

Jakarta’s 2012 gubernatorial election and the nation’s July 2014 presidential election tell us a few things.

In both elections, Jokowi and Ahok (2012) and Jokowi (2014) had huge public support and enthusiasm behind them. And in both contests opponents used smear campaigns on religious and ethnic issues.

The smear campaign against Jokowi, who was accused of being a secret Christian of Chinese descent, almost worked. He lost his double-digit lead in opinion surveys just weeks before the election. Jokowi won, but with a close margin of 53 percent, against 46 percent for his rival.

Ethnicity and religion do have traction in elections, but they are not make-or-break factors. Religious identity in general is a more significant factor than ethnic identity.

Based on the results of a March 2014 CSIS national survey, it appears that Indonesia is not ready for people from minority groups to lead the nation. When asked if they objected to having an ethnic Chinese as president or vice-president, close to two-thirds of respondents said they did. The percentage rose to 71.7 percent when asked if they objected to having a non-Muslim president or vice-president.

But when we replace the conceptual question with real-case scenarios the results differ. The same survey presented several presidential pair scenarios. Interestingly, pairing Jokowi and Ahok as presidential and vice-presidential candidates did not diminish Jokowi’s electability.

It has often been overlooked that Chinese Indonesians are very heterogeneous socially and politically. Yet they are often treated and viewed as a monolithic group.

There is a variety of views in regard to the political participation of ethnic Chinese. Some are still cautious, traumatized by the 1998 riots. Others are quite enthusiastic about entering the political sphere.

The same varied views apply to Ahok. Some are proud and supportive of his accomplishments, while others are apprehensive. There are those who have reservations due to a fear that his brash demeanor may create a backlash against the Chinese, while a smaller minority are not supportive of him as he does not give special privileges.

Regardless of the changes in political dynamics nationally and among Chinese Indonesians, Ahok is pushing the nation forward. He is breaking barriers that had defined Indonesia’s socio-political environment. He has changed the game by having voters appraise politicians on their merits instead of ethnic and religious markers.

Yet Ahok is also an Indonesian politician who is unashamedly Chinese and Christian. He carries his background with pride, not for his identity but for Indonesia’s multicultural potential.

Tobias Basuki is a researcher at the Department of Politics and International Relations at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta.

The Conversation

Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama.
(JG Photo/ Afriadi Hikmal)

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A First for Indonesia, Ethnic Chinese Leader Takes Charge in the Capital

"Recalibration of Free Choice"– Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth, 4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical) 8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“…5 - Integrity That May Surprise…

The Unthinkable… Politics, A Review

Humans will begin to search for integrity and fairness and it's going to happen in the places you never expect. I said this last week, so this is a review. There'll come a time when you will demand this of your politics - fairness and integrity. So when the candidates start calling each other names, you will turn your back on them and they won't get any votes. They're going to get the point real fast, don't you think? How about that?

Let me give you another potential. This country that I sit in right now [USA] will set the mold for that particular attribute. I have no clock. Watch for the youngsters to set this in motion, and they will, for they are the voters of tomorrow and they do not want the energy of today. To some of them, it's so abominable they won't even register to vote in this energy. You're going to see this soon. That was number five.. ..."