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Chinese Christian installed as Governor of Jakarta despite violent protests

JAKARTA — Despite violent protests by hard-line Islamic vigilante groups and threats of a legislative boycott by rival politicians, Mr Basuki Tjahaja Purnama today (Nov 19) was officially inaugurated as governor of Jakarta.

Religious hardliners have staged rallies against Mr Basuki (right, with 
Mr Widodo) becoming Governor, contending that as a Christian and ethnic Chinese, he should not be allowed to govern the capital city of a Muslim-majority country.
Photo: REUTERS

Religious hardliners have staged rallies against Mr Basuki (right, with
Mr Widodo) becoming Governor, contending that as a Christian and ethnic Chinese, he should not be allowed to govern the capital city of a Muslim-majority country.
Photo: REUTERS

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JAKARTA — Despite violent protests by hard-line Islamic vigilante groups and threats of a legislative boycott by rival politicians, Mr Basuki Tjahaja Purnama today (Nov 19) was officially inaugurated as governor of Jakarta.

Mr Purnama, also popularly known as Ahok, was installed at the State Palace by President Joko Widodo in an afternoon ceremony broadcasted live by the nation’s major news networks.

“I promise to fulfil my obligations as a governor to the best of my ability and I will uphold Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution and implement all regulations fairly,” Mr Purnama said when taking the oath of office.

The first governor of Indonesia’s capital of Chinese descent, and a Protestant Christian, Basuki was Mr Widodo’s No 2 at City Hall until the latter was elected president.

SELECTING A NEW DEPUTY

Several cabinet ministers were present for the inauguration, including Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo and Spatial Planning Minister Ferry Mursyidan.

The new governor himself was accompanied by his wife Veronica Tan, his children and his mother.

Mr Kumolo said Mr Purnama would have 15 days to select his own deputy governor.

“After a maximum of 15 days, Basuki must submit the name of his deputy,” the home affairs minister said.

POLITICAL OPPOSITION

Among the first people to congratulate the freshly inaugurated Mr Purnama was former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, the chairwoman of Mr Widodo’s Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). Mr Kumolo is also a PDI-P stalwart.

Earlier in the day, the leader of the Jakarta chapter of the Red-White coalition (KMP), which opposes both Mr Widodo and Mr Purnama, said he had instructed the KMP’s 57 city councillors to stop showing up for plenary meetings to express their disapproval of the new governor.

“Can you imagine what’s going to happen if we don’t attend the meetings? The meetings will never reach the quorum,” Mr Muhammad Taufik said this morning.

It was not immediately clear whether any KMP politicians attended the inauguration.

THREATS OF VIOLENCE

Ahead of the inauguration, police said around 12,000 personnel would be mobilised to provide security, after threats were issued by the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI).

The vigilante group has said it would block the inauguration at any price and members of the group in Cisarua, Bogor, on Sunday vowed to send reinforcements to their associates in Jakarta. As of this afternoon, however, there were no reports of any disturbances of the public order or of an FPI demonstration.

The FPI has protested, violently at times, against Mr Purnama’s appointment, arguing that as a Christian and an ethnic Chinese, he should not be allowed to govern the capital of a Muslim-majority country.

Today’s inauguration marks the first time a governor was installed by the president, based on the nation’s new regional elections law. THE JAKARTA GLOBE

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