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lections can reveal the best and the worst characteristics of a nation: One of the worst things that the 2014 election season has exposed is that we are all bigots.

Look at the way we have dealt with the smear campaign against Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo, one of the two presidential candidates in the July 9 election. A tabloid publication widely circulating in Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) claimed that Jokowi was ethnically Chinese and that he was a Christian.

This campaign has gone too far. This spreading of lies about the racial and religious identify of this candidate plays on the knowledge that many voters are swayed by sectarian sentiment. While smear tactics such as these are detestable, our reactions and the way we have tackled those spreading the lies are even more deplorable. It has exposed the racism and bigotry within us.

One clue of our racist attitude is the way we have been freely using the term '€œblack campaign'€ to denote everything negative about campaign methods. Why would we subscribe to the notion of white supremacy when we are not even white? But this is no more baffling than the popularity of skin whitening cream among our women and men.

Indonesia could learn a lesson or two from another equally pluralist nation, the United States, when the religious identity of Barack Obama became a contentious issue during the presidential race in 2008. The Hillary Clinton camp, his chief rival for the Democratic nomination, spread the malicious news that Obama was a Muslim playing into Islamophobia. Former secretary of state Colin Powell (who, like Obama, is an African-American), had the right answer: '€œSo what if he is a Muslim?'€ Any other answer in Obama'€™s defense, while well intentioned, amounted to bigotry.

This is also the one and only right answer to the claims that Jokowi is Chinese and he is not a Muslim: '€œSo what if he is Chinese or not Muslim, or both?'€ All other answers refuting these allegations simply make us all look like a bunch of bigots.

And sadly, perhaps we are.

This is supposed to be a nation that celebrates diversity and guarantees equal opportunity for all citizens, irrespective of their race, ethnicity, religion and social-class backgrounds. Obviously, we are not there yet.

Not to say that there is no progress. The appointment of Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama as Jakarta acting governor this month, filling the position temporarily vacated by Jokowi, marks a step in the right direction. Ahok is Chinese-Indonesian and a Christian. Since Independence in 1945, Jakarta has never been governed by a Chinese-Indonesian or a non-Muslim. And neither has Indonesia.

Should Jokowi win the election in July, we look forward to the confirmation of Ahok as full governor. That would be something to celebrate for Jakarta, which should take the lead in purging us of the bigotry within. Yes, he is Chinese-Indonesian and Christian.

But then, so what?