JAKARTA — Despite violent protests by hardline Islamic vigilante groups and threats of a legislative boycott by rival politicians, Mr Basuki Tjahaja Purnama was officially inaugurated as Governor of Jakarta yesterday, the first person of Chinese descent to attain that office.

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

His inauguration, scheduled for Tuesday, was postponed to next week to obtain a presidential decree on his appointment. But it was suddenly moved to yesterday. No reason was given for the change.

“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 Basuki said when taking the oath of office.

He is the first Governor of Indonesia’s capital who is of Chinese descent and a Christian. Mr Basuki was Mr Widodo’s deputy until the latter was elected President.

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

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

Mr Tjahjo said Mr Basuki would have 15 days to select his own Deputy Governor. “After a maximum of 15 days, Mr Basuki must submit the name of his deputy,” the Home Affairs Minister said.

Among the first people to congratulate the freshly inaugurated Mr Basuki was former President Megawati Sukarnoputri, the chairwoman of Mr Widodo’s Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Earlier in the day, the leader of the Jakarta chapter of the Red-White coalition (KMP), which supports defeated presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and opposes both Mr Widodo and Mr Basuki, 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,” said Mr Muhammad Taufik. Mr Taufik also reiterated that members of the Jakarta chapter of KMP, including himself, would not attend the inauguration despite having received an invitation from State Secretary Pratikno.

Ahead of the inauguration, the police said around 12,000 personnel would be mobilised to provide security after threats were issued by the religious group 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. But there have been no reports of any disturbances of the public order or of an FPI demonstration.

The FPI has protested, violently at times, against Mr Basuki’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.

His inauguration yesterday marks the first time a Governor was installed by the President, based on the nation’s new regional elections law.

On whether he would be celebrating afterwards, Mr Basuki said: “There’s no use in celebrating, there’s tonnes of work (waiting).” THE JAKARTA GLOBE