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COMMENTARY: Jakarta election: Can we leave religion, race out of runoff?
If you want to see the glass as half full, the results of Wednesday’s election can tell us one thing: Religion and race are not a factor for a significant number of Jakarta’s voters.
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Reconciliatory -- Incumbent Jakarta governor candidate Basuki (Courtesy of Ahok's campaign team/File)
T
he conventional wisdom among local and foreign observers of Indonesian politics is that the Jakarta gubernatorial race will only get nastier in the runoff if incumbent Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama makes it to the second round.
For many, the first round of the Jakarta election, which lasted four months, was already exhaustingly and dismayingly sectarian, with thousands of conservative Muslims taking to the streets of Jakarta — four times! — spewing hate at Ahok, the Christian and ethnic Chinese candidate.
His rivals, Anies Baswedan and Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, have rejected allegations that they were behind the four religiously driven anti-Ahok rallies, but they (first Agus, and then Anies) certainly benefited from the rising sentiment against Ahok following allegations that he insulted the Quran.
That said, if there is a runoff between Ahok and one of the two Muslim contenders, will they refrain from playing the religion and race cards to beat Ahok?
It is not easy to be optimistic, but there is no reason to abandon all hope.
Against all odds Ahok has survived the sectarian attacks launched against him, with quick count results showing he was supported by a huge number of Jakartans, many of whom were Muslims who had been repeatedly reminded during Friday prayers that their faith prohibited them from electing a non-Muslim as leader.
Several pollsters have concluded that Ahok got around 42 percent of the vote, followed by Anies with around 39 percent and Agus with 17 to 18 percent.
