 |
Basuki Tjahaja “Ahok” Purnama has redefined the country’s political
landscape and is now working to transfrorm Jakarta. (GlobeAsia) |
Basuki
Tjahaja Purnama, popularly known as Ahok, has seen his profile among the
Indonesian public rise meteorically. Now he has the task of proving himself a
worthy leader for the capital city after the departure of his predecessor as
Jakarta governor, Joko Widodo, for the presidency.
It has not
been an easy path for GlobeAsia’s man of the year to sit where he is now. The
native of Belitung, where he is one of the island’s roughly 30% of residents of
Chinese descent, was formally installed as the 17th governor of Jakarta on
November 19.
The former
deputy governor finally took the oath as governor after political intrigue
involving local lawmakers and protests from radical Muslim groups, who dislike
the Christian taking charge of the Muslim-majority nation’s capital.
The
inauguration marked a new milestone for Jakarta as he was the first Jakarta
governor to be installed directly by the president and only the second – after
Ali Sadikin – to be sworn in at the State Palace. The home affairs minister
usually represents the president in inaugurating governors at their respective
regional assemblies (DPRD) or at the ministry.
Ahok is a
phenomenon in Indonesian politics not just because of his combative and
outspoken style, which has drawn many supporters as well as detractors. He also
represents a new milestone for inclusiveness since he is the first ever
ethnic-Chinese governor of the capital and the first non-Muslim for 50 years.
The last
non-Muslim governor of Jakarta was Henk Ngantung, who was appointed by Indonesia’s
first President Sukarno in 1964. He lasted in office only for a year as he was
swept out of power as a result of the tumultuous changes in the political
constellation that engulfed the nation the following year.
While
Indonesia is a Muslim-dominated nation, unlike many fellow Muslim countries in
the Middle East or elsewhere in the world, the country is also a democracy, the
third largest in the world. First is India, and then comes superpower the
United States, which also has a long list of minorities serving as governors,
including media darling Bobby Jindal, the 55th governor of Louisiana, an
American Indian from the Republican Party.
This is a
rare time for the Republican Party, typically more conservative than the
Democrats, to host a figure such as Jindal. Like Ahok, the Louisiana governor
is known as an outspoken leader who has pushed for comprehensive ethical reform
that has required, among other steps, financial disclosure for elected and
appointed government officials, an end to lavish lobbyist-funded meals and the
prohibition of conflicts of interests in his battle against corruption.
 |
Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, popularly known as Ahok, represents a new milestone
for inclusiveness since he is the first ever ethnic-Chinese governor of the capital
and the first non-Muslim for 50 years. (SP Photo/Joanito De Saojoao). |
Never under
Jokowi’s shadow
On December
22, GlobeAsia’s Arientha Primanita had the honor of an exclusive interview at
Ahok’s office at Jakarta City Hall. Before sitting down to speak with this
magazine, Ahok spent some time looking at the paintings of former Jakarta
governors hanging on the walls of the reception room. He asked his aide where
his painting was likely to be hung once he had completed his term as Jakarta
governor.
The man who
began his professional career in the mining industry in the late 1980s also
asked where was the picture of his predecessor, Jokowi. He nodded when his aide
replied that the painting of Jokowi was still in process.
“These
paintings are really good. They all look like photographs. I think the painting
of my face will be different than my real face,” Ahok said with a laugh.
Ahok will
be governor of Jakarta until 2017, finishing up the term of the Jokowi-Ahok
pairing which won election back in 2012.
Then
remains the question of whether he will want to run for a second term, and
whether the people of Jakarta will want to vote for him if he does. That will
depend to a large degree on what he can achieve in the next three years.
Ahok had
never been under the shadow of the popular former mayor of Solo in Central
Java. While Joko was roaming the back streets of Jakarta, in his by-now famous
blusukan style of governance, meeting people and getting to know the issues
they face directly, Ahok was back at City Hall, coming to grips with the
internal issues of the Jakarta administration.
 |
Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama
and his deputy, Djarot Saiful Hidayat, at City
Hall on Wednesday. (Antara Photo/
Andika Wahyu) |
Now, with
newly installed deputy governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat in tow, Ahok still
chooses to remain in his office in the main building of City Hall to receive
guests, do his paperwork, lead meetings as well as make sure that all of the
apparatus of the city is working properly.
Ahok deals
with conflict in his own way, not like the calm and measured Jokowi. It is not
unusual for the new governor’s hot-headed style to emerge in video footage in
the news or on YouTube and sometimes his harsh comments draw an angry response
from his opponents, including lawmakers.
Luhut
Panjaitan, a former three-star general who is a close adviser to Jokowi, believes
this is just the type of leader that Jakarta needs. “I don’t care about the
issue of descent, religion or his style. Even if it was a ghost, but could get
things done, I would choose it,” he said.
Jakarta has
never been an easy city to govern. For many years, the public has been
frustrated by the slow progress of development in a city famous for its
legendary traffic jams, regular floods and messy spatial planning. At the same
time the city is the business and financial hub of the nation, as well as the
capital city.
Luhut said
his sentiments reflect the frustration of the people of Jakarta, who have long
dreamed about a firm leader who can introduce breakthroughs and create order in
a city that should be the showpiece of the nation. “Ahok can provide such hope
even without Jokowi at his side in Jakarta,” he said.
Asked about
the status of his relationship with Jokowi, Ahok smiled and said he is a lucky
governor as he has the Indonesian president as his good friend. He recalled
traveling with Jokowi after he became president, when he was asked to join Joko
on a visit to Kupang in East Nusa Tenggara on December 19.
Jokowi
asked him to sit beside him in the presidential airplane on the journey. They
discussed many things and caught up with each other’s news. Ahok said he
believed that his close ties with the president, with whom he shared an office
for two years, will bring benefits to Jakarta.
When he was
deputy governor, he was one of the people who pushed Jokowi to run for the
presidency. The problems of Jakarta could not be solved by any governor, but
required a concerted effort from the central government and the surrounding
provinces, he argued. “Now I have the president’s backing, I can just call him
and report on what I need.”
Cleaning up
the bureaucracy
Born in
Manggar, East Belitung on June 29, 1966, Ahok began his career in politics as a
regional legislator in East Belitung in 2004, then won election as the district
head in 2005. It was there that he developed a reputation as a tough, action-oriented
leader. The skills he learned there will be essential if he is to succeed in
Jakarta.
He told
GlobeAsia that Jakarta’s monumental traffic jams and severe flooding remain his
main priorities for 2015. Getting officials to work is another priority: As
might be expected, Ahok is no less firm than Jokowi when it comes to
non-performing public officials. The former Solo mayor kicked aside the former
head of the city’s Public Works Agency, Manggas Rudy Siahaan, for not
performing well.
Ahok has
also been very outspoken in pushing for improvement in the bureaucracy. He
announced at the end of 2014 that he would purge more than a thousand
officials. His aim is to see Jakarta’s roughly 72,000 civil servants working
hard. There will be transparent selections for promotions and he plans to
replace around 3,000 officials with new faces.
“There will
be frictions because of this in 2015, but I am sure in 2016 our bureaucracy
will run smoothly,” he said. On a more positive note as far as the officials
are concerned, salaries of civil servants will increase to encourage them to
provide improved services to the people. Urban ward chiefs, known as ‘lurah’
will get salaries of Rp25 million per month, recognizing their role as the
leading edge of public services.
His other
main priorities include better welfare, education and healthcare programs. “Our
goal is to make your brain, stomach and wallet full. That’s what we want to
do,” Ahok said, adding that he considered himself the chief servant of the
Jakarta public.
As part of
his programs to make Jakarta a better place to live, he has launched a smart
city program that will accommodate and monitor reports and complaints from the
public and then follow up on them. The program includes six dimensions:
economy, mobility, environment, humanity, livelihood and administration.
The Jakarta
administration also plans to install 4,000 closed-circuit television (CCTV)
cameras in every corner of the capital city, starting with 2,500 units this
year. This will make it easier to monitor the roads and rivers and his
subordinates. Jakarta citizens are also expected to contribute and access the
information via smartphones.
Deputy
Governor Djarot will get out on the road to carry on Jokowi’s blusukan style
and meet people. Ahok has no concern that the former Blitar mayor’s popularity
might eclipse his own. “The most important thing is we complete our mission for
Jakarta. If Jakarta people think Djarot is better than me, it’s good. I get a
better deputy governor than I was,” he said.
Can he
survive?
While
GlobeAsia talked to Governor Ahok, a noisy protest was taking place in front of
City Hall on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan. Dozens of protestors, led by organizers
shouting their complaints through loudspeakers opposing his policy on banning
motorcycles from Jakarta’s main thoroughfares of Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat and Jl.
MH Thamrin, designed to ease traffic congestion in the area.
The
protestors were mainly motorcycle taxi drivers, known locally as “ojek,” from
the Jakarta Transportation Front, or FrontJak. They slammed Ahok for hurting
their incomes due to the ban, which is still in its trial stage.
Babak, the
FrontJak coordinator, said the policy had hurt ojek drivers’ incomes. “There
are more people buying cars. Does Ahok dare to forbid cars to pass? Why does he
ban motorcycles and make ojek drivers’ lives miserable,” said the angry ojek
driver.
Ahok and
his blunt style has also been the target of regular protests from the hard-line
Islamic Defenders’ Front (FPI). While they say they oppose him because he is a
Christian, they are also believed to be unwilling to accept him because of his
Chinese ethnicity.
Salim bin
Umar Alatas, the head of FPI’s Jakarta branch, has said Ahok is too arrogant to
be a public official, and has called him “an enemy of Islam.”
The group’s
protests included attacks on the Jakarta Regional Assembly (DPRD), calling for
its members to oppose Ahok’s installation as governor. In early December, the
FPI nominated Fahrurrozi Ishaq, a teacher of the Koran and FPI member, as their
own ‘shadow’ Jakarta governor.
Criticism
has also come from regional lawmakers. Johnny Simanjuntak, a member of the DPRD
from Jokowi’s party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P),
criticized him for being too frank, saying that the governor’s abrasive style
had caused a stir in the city administration, but there had not been much
change in the quality of services to the public.
He pointed
out that many of Jakarta’s programs are not executed well, including flood and
traffic management, because directions from top officials don’t make it as far
as lower-level employees on the ground.
Ahok told
GlobeAsia he acknowledged the criticism but said he would not change his style.
His main focus, he said, is to do his best as governor and serve the people of
Jakarta.
“I can
handle criticism. The only thing they (the protestors) can do is not elect me
for the next term. So I am focusing on my remaining three years so I can prove
to them that I did something,” he said with a smile.
“I don’t
ever think about my image. What’s in my heart and what comes out of my mouth
are the same. Do you need someone with substance or someone with a polished
skin?” he asked. Yet he indicated that some of the barbs have got to him.
“The only
problem is that people out there still cannot accept the fact that I, with
slanted eyes and a Christian, can be governor.”
“Most
importantly, don’t oppose me just because I’m a Chinese-Christian, that’s not
fair. Judge me for my work,” he said, adding that he is accustomed to tough
times. He was conceived in a heated environment when the crisis over the
Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) broke in 1965.
Popularity
was never the aim of the geological engineering graduate. He intends to be
himself, warts and all. “Once you become
a public official, it is tiring if you play a role to maintain a good image.
One day your true character will be discovered. I never pretend about who I am.
I have always been like this.”
His aide
Sakti Budiono is perfectly happy with Ahok’s leadership skills. His boss does
not beat around the bush and knows exactly what he has in his mind. “He lets us
work with our own creativity and improvisation as long as we get the job done,”
said Sakti.
A future
leader of Indonesia?
While the
leadership race ended in July with the victory of Jokowi, many have speculated
that Ahok could be Indonesia’s next leader. Ahok did not deny his ambition to
become president.
“The best
way to improve our country is by being president. If there are better people
than me, than I would not run but if there is no better person then why
shouldn’t I run for the sake of this country,” he said.
Ahok, who
once planned to flee to Canada after the anti-Chinese riots of 1998, said
Indonesia remains a democracy. The people, he said, represent a power that
cannot be overlooked and he strongly believes that Jokowi will be able to guard
democracy. As for his own prospects of future high public office, Ahok said
that is a matter of fate. “In Islam, we say Wallahualam” – it all depends on
God’s will.
Turning
philosophical, he added that nobody knows what will happen in their lives. His
own life, becoming Jakarta governor with only a limited political background,
and that of Jokowi, who shot to the presidency, showed how life can bring
surprises.
“We don’t
know about our lives and when we will die. We just do what we can do best. For
me, at least I can have a painting of my photograph hanging in City Hall,” he
said with a laugh.
One of the
obstacles to further office is his lack of party backing. He said he’s relieved
to have quit the Greater Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) of losing presidential
candidate Prabowo Subianto, which had supported the Jokowi-Ahok ticket for the
race for governor against the pairing of incumbent Fauzi Bowo and Nachrowi
Ramli.
Now, he
said, he has more time to work and does not need to attend any political party
events, which in the past meant he had to work during the weekends. Running for
president in the future is a long way away, and who knows what could happen in
that time.
With
additional reporting by Muhamad Al Azhari
 |
| GlobeAsia’s cover January 2015 |
Related Articles:
 |
Newly inaugurated Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, left, shakes hands
with President Joko Widodo, and both are accompanied by their wives at the
Presidential Palace on Nov. 19, 2014. (Antara Photo/Widodo S. Jusuf) |
