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strong>Nov. 17, p. 6

YouTube might seem an unusual medium to promote government activities, but Jakarta under its new leaders recently set a precedent.

The Jakarta city government uploaded a video of a meeting between Deputy Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama and city Public Works Agency officials onto the world’s number one video-sharing website as part of a breakthrough to establish open governance.

Your comments:

I am one of the tens of millions of Indonesians and foreigners who follow the activities of Joko Widodo and Basuki Tjahaja Purnama with avid interest, and who have enormous sympathy as well as very high hopes for this sincere and hard-working duo which now governs Jakarta.

For several decades, millions of Indonesians have earnestly and fervently prayed for good, honest, intelligent, courageous, reliable authority figures to lead and guide them, and Jokowi and Ahok do seem to be an answer sent from the creator.

However, I would like to sincerely request you to be very careful.

The criminal and corrupt elements that are still deeply entrenched in the Jakarta governmental offices, as well as in their well-established public network, are now certain that their best interests and luxurious livelihoods are under dire threat, and they will lash-out at Jokowi and Ahok in no uncertain terms, hitting them where it hurts most.

It is only a matter of time.

Dear Jokowi and Ahok, I know that you gentlemen, being so daring, will scoff at the very idea of having bodyguards or wearing bulletproof vests.

However, please be very careful from now on. Have your beloved ones, those people who are your Achilles heels, guarded and in a safe place.

Knowing you, I believe that you will never ever capitulate to intimidation and violence, rather prefering to live and die courageously, like the real men that you are.

I sincerely wish for you, dear Jokowi and Ahok, the very best of God’s blessings, and these include happiness, success, love and his divine guidance and protection.

Tami