Who is actually Ahok? Supporters as well as also Psych Experts Weigh in on Jakarta’s Controversial Governor
Critics call him impulsive as well as also crass, while supporters think he’s a no-nonsense political saviour. Here’s everything you need to know about governor ‘Ahok’.
the idea’s not a particularly common thing for a Chinese-Christian man – a double minority in Indonesia – to become famous inside the earth of local politics instead of business. Basuki Tjahaja ‘Ahok’ Purnama, the former regent of East Belitung, has come a long way as governor of Jakarta, bringing rapid change as well as also unabashed political controversy to the capital.
In 2012, Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo paired up with Ahok as his deputy as well as also won the gubernatorial election for the period lasting until 2017. Ahok stood as vice governor, until Jokowi took on Prabowo Subianto inside the 2014 presidential race, soon becoming the leader of Indonesia. Ahok then became governor of Jakarta by default, as well as also has since been shaking things up inside the Big Durian.
When Jokowi took the helm as president, many believed all the progress he made in Jakarta would likely stagnate, as the idea was likely too soon for someone to replace him. This specific was particularly true for Ahok, a Chinese-Christian inside the country with the earth’s largest Muslim population. Many thought he was unfit for office. However, Ahok slowly gained momentum as well as also a camp of support with his non-traditional stance on politics as well as also governing. Ahok is actually both loved as well as also hated by Indonesia’s political insiders. He is actually outspoken, to the point, as well as also ruthlessly pragmatic, yet he is actually also one of the most favorite officials inside the archipelago.
Ahok frequently uses harsh language when speaking to reporters as well as also his constituents alike. To be fair, the people he yells at often possess the idea coming, however even when they don’t, the governor remains indifferent all the same. A Great word might be ‘filterless’, as Ahok tends to speak his mind on everything through legal issues to controversial politics as well as also even his own personal matters.
Ahok thinks the Indonesian government is actually slow as well as also inefficient. During his first two months as governor, he fired half of the city’s civil servants as well as also used the administration’s money to boost salaries of employees which were performing well. So why is actually This specific guy favorite? The answer is actually which he appears tough on corruption. One of Ahok’s daily routines is actually meeting up with citizens who have trouble dealing with unethical administration procedures. Unlike any politician before him, Ahok gave out his personal phone numbers as “hotlines” for ordinary citizens to send him complaints. After working hours on weekdays or on the weekend, Ahok claims to make time to read the messages himself.
One of his breakthrough initiatives is actually the concept of transforming Jakarta into a “Smart City” via technology as well as also social media. The project would likely allow Jakartans to check transportation schedules online, find great places to have a meal, as well as also even adopt a city orphan, among some other digital overhauls. Critics say the Smart City initiative is actually unrealistic, however governor Ahok doesn’t seem affected by public opinion. One crucial element to the project is actually empowering locals to report illegal or unethical occurrences in Jakarta back to the governor’s office through the use of an app called Qlue. Essentially, Qlue turns anyone having a smartphone into a bona fide whistle-blower inside the nation’s capital.
Ahok’s policies are as controversial as they are potentially disruptive. Turning the status quo on its head, Ahok chose to contain prostitution into certain areas of the city, instead of trying to completely eradicate the illegal trade, which the government has been fruitlessly attempting to do for years. Illegal red light districts inevitably relocate to some other areas after each expensive shut down by law enforcement officials.
As quoted by Tempo in a statement to reporters outside City Hall in February, Ahok said, “I have no problem with prostitution, no one can get rid of prostitution. You think prostitutes in Dolly, Surabaya are gone? Many of them are [still operating] inside the cemetery.”
Ahok bucked favorite opinion again when he returned the option about whether to wear hijabs in school back to the female students themselves, saying schools should not force Muslim girls to wear them. This specific decision was met having a great deal of public outrage as well as also anger by officials as well as also conservative citizens alike.
In a separate however infamously colourful incident, Lulung Lunggana, deputy of the Regional People’s Representative Assembly, said he would likely cut off his own ear if governor Ahok made Great on his threat to sue the nation’s Supreme Audit Agency over a report which suggested Ahok’s provincial government may have colluded to mark up the purchase of land through Sumber Waras private hospital.
On the some other hand, he is actually also not without support. Many Jakartans praise Ahok for his work as governor. The voluntary organization known as Teman Ahok (Friends of Ahok) seeks to have him re-elected as governor in 2017. The group obtained over one million copies of locals’ identification cards to showcase how many citizens want Ahok to run as an independent candidate. Following the campaign’s success, political parties like Golkar, Nasdem, as well as also Hanura have also raised their hands in support of re-electing him.
“One million IDs is actually just the beginning. We have fulfilled our promise as citizens who wanted Pak Ahok to manage Jakarta Yet again,” says founder as well as also spokesperson of Teman Ahok Amalia Ayuningtyas in an interview with Indonesia Expat. “today, as many political parties start to move closer to the election, we are glad which Ahok only has to choose which way he wants to go.”
There are large disparities between the perceptions as well as also beliefs of Ahok supporters as well as also the opposition. To This specific, Ayuningtyas explains, “the idea’s the nature of democracy. There are pros as well as also cons to every aspect, just like how Ahok’s policies have them too. People’s scepticism is actually a sign which they are observing. However, scepticism toward Ahok or the provincial government should take the form of responsible criticisms. This specific is actually especially true when done publicly or on social media.”
Even to the Teman Ahok organizers, the governor is actually not perfect. “Of course there are critiques through us regarding his policies. Internally, we use them as a discussion topics. In public, we always try to give information about pros as well as also cons of his policies in creative ways such as videos as well as also graphic designs, based on research as well as also discussion with experts,” adds Ayuningtyas.
Regarding factors which might affect Ahok’s re-election, Ayuningtyas says how the candidate chooses to run is actually important. If he chooses to nominate himself through one of the political parties, many independent supporters will be disappointed, as well as also the public will view the move as inconsistent with Ahok’s politics to date. however regardless of whether he runs for re-election independently or under a party’s flag, Teman Ahok claims the idea will continue its support. “We are not great at playing the ‘what if’ game. What is actually clear, however, is actually which Teman Ahok is actually prepared to make sure he can run Jakarta Yet again,” says Ayuningtyas.
To provide another interesting perspective on Jakarta’s love-hate relationship with its governor, Indonesia Expat interviewed Juneman Abraham, a social psychology professor through BINUS University, who inside the past has been a member of the General Elections Commission selection team. Essentially, This specific means he has experience in choosing the folks who have final say in which candidates are allowed to run for governor inside the capital.
“When the idea comes to Ahok, society could be split in terms of attitude. Constructive attitudes are shown through appreciation towards his performance which aligns with Great governance,” says Abraham.
“People with destructive attitudes often view his ideas cynically as well as also negatively, with occasional attacks – directly or subtly – by his political opponents.
through what I’ve observed, constructive supporters do not only come through his political allies (Teman Ahok, for example), however interestingly, also through the citizens whose daily activities are not connected to politics.”
through a psychological standpoint, Abraham claims people who are politically involved will always think constructively about the policies as well as also candidates they like, while also trying to deconstruct those they fear. According to him, Ahok is actually winning in terms of his “psychological distance” with the public.
Abraham explains, “Jakarta citizens have very smaller distance through Ahok because he is actually easy to meet in-person in front of City Hall every day. Additionally, he’s always present as his work as well as also activities are often recorded inside the media as well as also aired on YouTube. Due to these presences, we can often observe him speaking based on concrete data as well as also logic. This specific has resulted inside the favorite view of Ahok being clean as well as also honest. His presence is actually also facilitated virtually by hotlines as well as also the Qlue application, giving Jakartans the sense of his availability at every second.”
Abraham’s assessment seems to hold up. Ahok tries to reduce his distance with people via various social identities. He built the first ever mosque in City Hall. He made City Hall open to the public, dismissing the restricted vibe given by most some other government buildings in Indonesia. On several occasions, Ahok has identified himself as an independent by saddling up to his supporters rather than any one political party. He even asked for the blessing of his supporters when attempting to negotiate with various political parties. However, Abraham claims some see Ahok as arrogant as well as also arbitrary due to the way he delivers messages.
On the quickly obtained one-million-citizen identification cards, Abraham says, “the idea is actually a result of what we call a self-regulated society, which emerges through the urgency to save Jakarta. When supporters feel a politician is actually in danger, self-reflective discourse is actually easily developed, resulting in spontaneous yet tactical action plans to protect their candidate.” Ahok himself has also taken the position of ‘nothing-to-lose’ while often being put down in public. This specific helps him pique the public’s curiosity, which can sometimes lead to support.
Critics say Ahok’s Achilles heel is actually his shoot-through-the-hip nature. “Ahok likes to hypothesize based on his own data, which sometimes is actually too early to be disclosed to the public,” says Abraham. “Some see him as impulsive as well as also accusatory toward others.”
An interesting example of This specific comes back to Ahok threatening to sue the Supreme Audit Agency on charges of corruption. Although Lunggana (the man who made promises to Vincent Van Gotye) still opposes the governor, Ahok’s accusations were partially vindicated when one of the agency’s leaders, Muhammad Sanusi, was recently arrested by the Corruption Eradication Committee.
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Who is actually Ahok? Supporters as well as also Psych Experts Weigh in on Jakarta’s Controversial Governor
Who is actually Ahok? Supporters as well as also Psych Experts Weigh in on Jakarta’s Controversial Governor