Two years ago, amid protests from hardline Islamic groups, he was sworn in as only the second Christian Governor of Jakarta, the capital territory of world’s most populous Muslim country, Indonesia.
Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known by his nickname “Ahok”, is not only Christian by faith but also ethnically Chinese. He was not directly elected then. He was the deputy to the then Governor Joko Widodo. When Widodo was elected national President he automatically became Jakarta’s Governor.
Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)