Former Indonesian education minister wins Jakarta poll

balinews

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Feb 14, 2010
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A former Indonesian education minister won the race for Jakarta governor on Wednesday after a polarising campaign that cast a shadow over Indonesia's reputation for practicing a tolerant form of Islam.

Anies Baswedan won with 58 percent of the votes versus 42 percent for Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known by his Chinese nickname as "Ahok", based on 100 percent of the votes in an unofficial "quick count" by Indikator Politik. Other pollsters showed similar results.

The national elections commission will announce official results in early May.

The turbulent campaign featured mass rallies led by a hardline Islamist movement, which has strengthened in recent years in a country long dominated by a moderate form of Islam. More than 80 percent of Indonesia's population professes Islam.

"Going forward, the politics of religion is going to be a potent force," said Keith Loveard, an analyst at Jakarta-based Concord Consulting and an author of books about Indonesian politics.

Baswedan's huge margin of victory was surprising since opinion polls in the run-up to the election had pointed to a dead-heat. Purnama won the first round of voting for governor in February in a three-way race.

http://www.reuters.com/article/indonesia-election-int-idUSKBN17K2I2
 

spicyayam

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Jan 12, 2009
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How 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) ?
 

Mark

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Apr 19, 2004
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How 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...
 

spicyayam

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Jan 12, 2009
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Actually that was my point. I should have said, I wonder if he would be able to accomplish as much as governor in Bali, like he did in Jakarta because bupatis here have all the power.

I believe that Pastika did try to slow down development of new hotels in Bali, but it is the bupatis that give out the building permits so construction has gone on unabated.