Jakarta Poll Not to Be Fought on Race, Ahok Tells Candidates
Jakarta. Incumbent Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama has warned contenders in the 2017 gubernatorial election is not to be fought on race and discrimination, instead campaigns should focus on strong policy and programs for the city.
Basuki and running mate Djarot Saiful Hidayat, a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), filed their candidacy at the Jakarta Election Commission (KPUD) on Wednesday (21/09).
Basuki told reporters he hoped "diversity will win in next year's election" after a string of discriminative attacks against the ethnically Chinese-Christian governor in recent months.
Earlier this month, around 1,000 people from various Muslim groups, including Hizbuh Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) and the hard-line Islamic Defenders' Front (FPI), rallied on Jakarta's car free day streets against Basuki.
Some protesters carried banners saying "Haram Memilih Pemimpin Kafir," or "It is haram to elect an infidel leader."
"I hope in this election, we will compete on our programs. I hope the critics will come to the programs. It should be a competition of programs, not of race or our religion," Basuki said at the Jakarta KPUD office.
He also said the nation's founder Soekarno established Pancasila as the state ideology, which embraces the spirit of unity in diversity.
"If someone hates a man due to his religion, then that person must have misinterpreted the religion," he said.
Basuki will run with the support of PDI-P, Golkar Party, National Democratic Party (NasDem) and People's Conscience Party (Hanura).
The coalition clears the Jakarta City Council regulation which requires candidates to have support from parties which hold a minimum 22 seats.
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