spicyayam wroteHow did Ahok get elected in the first place and what did he do that seemed to make him so popular (at least by a certain percentage of the population) ?
Ahok was deputy to Jokowi when he was governor of Jakarta, and he has presided over a massive clean up of the city. Reforms were actually started by Jokowi but Ahok has since busted balls to clean up the slums and canals, reduce flooding, green the city and keep the MRT project on track (yes, it is actually being built - saw it with my own eyes two weeks ago). He also held public employees accountable for their jobs, which no doubt pissed them off but went down a treat with the public. Unfortunately, the vested interests of the old guard who have been locked out of easy corruption money by both Ahok and Jokowi went on the attack, using Ahok's Chinese heritage as a weapon. Have no doubt though, that the real target is Jokowi in the next Presidential election. The bad guys need their fix of unlimited corruption funds restored...
