I

/strong>It is absolutely ridiculous for the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) to reject Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama as Jakarta governor due to his religion.

Religious discrimination reflects the pathetic ignorance of this party. Let us judge a governor based on his ability to deal with Jakarta'€™s gigantic problems, like flooding, garbage collection, traffic jams, parking difficulties, public transportation, lack of educational and healthcare facilities and insurance issues, just to name a few.

How can a religious person with a limited education deal with the above mentioned, king-sized problems? So far, Ahok has done a good job, so give him time to solve all the other pending problems that has plagued the capital for decades.

The proverb says: '€œRome was not built in one day.'€ In fact, this ancient city is also facing a problem with regard to tourist safety. Rome is, after Paris, probably the most-visited city in the world. Thieves, pickpockets and scams are the order of the day, just as in any other popular tourist city.

Please note that Rome is almost 2,500 years old, while Jakarta was founded in 669 AD (during the Sunda Kelapa kingdom). To reach perfection like Rome, Jakarta is running behind by about 2,000 years.

Just give Ahok a chance. He is honest and a hard worker, but he does not have 2,000 years to perfect Jakarta. Honesty and a positive work ethic are two qualities that were sorely lacking in all of Jakarta'€™s previous governors.

Lynne van der Zee-Oehmke
Bogor, West Java