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s a starry-eyed student in the early 2000s, I looked forward to a post-racial, post-religious Indonesia formed by the reformasi.

Any '€œrealist'€ would laugh, but would anyone have believed back then that in 2014 Indonesia would have a non-tycoon businessman as president, a self-made woman as a minister and, stranger than fiction, a Chinese Christian as Jakarta governor?

Back in 2002, the Jakarta Catholic Youth published several scenarios on Indonesia for 2012, from the most optimistic to the worst outlook.

In 2012, we were still worried about the dangers of religious radicalism and military authoritarianism.

Now, it seems both monsters have been kept at bay and at least one has lost its momentum.

The most ideal scenario described how a young Chinese couple helped improve a fishing village outside Jakarta. A Chinese couple was depicted because most Indonesian Christians have a Chinese background, like in Malaysia and Singapore, and because of the traumatic May 1998 riots, which happened four years before the release of the paper.

The riots had led many Chinese-Indonesians to flee the country. An outcome of reformasi was the formal improvement of religious and social rights for Chinese-Indonesians.

Chinese-Indonesians are still widely thought of as wealthy. Studies in the US show that Asian-Americans on average earn higher household incomes than other races, including white Americans.

Meanwhile, the top of Forbes'€™ list of the richest Indonesians is dominated by ethnic Chinese industrialists. Individually, the truth is varied.

As a group, it is perhaps above average.

Yet Asian-Americans believe there is still discrimination against them in corporations, government, arts and the media.

Many Americans still view them as outsiders, even as the history of Chinese-Americans is longer than the histories of, for instance, Italian- or Polish-Americans. It'€™s the same story in Indonesia.

The total number of Chinese-Indonesians is estimated to be around seven to 10 million.

That makes them the world'€™s largest overseas Chinese group and one of the largest ethnic groups in Indonesia.

Yet they seem invisible in the media, even as one encounters them every day in any city.

The year 2014 has been a roller coaster one for Chinese-Indonesians, especially in Jakarta. There was big excitement over the election of then governor and later President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo and deputy governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama.

But rumors of impending riots never died in the community '€” ahead of the April legislative election and the July presidential election, ahead of the August verdict of the Constitutional Court regarding the results of the presidential elections and, most recently, on the eve of Ahok'€™s inauguration as Jakarta governor.

Chinese worldwide love order and stability and therefore dislike mass protests and fear riots. After all, more than half of the 10 deadliest conflicts in history took place in China.

That is what makes the Hong Kong student movement surprising and controversial among overseas Chinese, including in Indonesia. That is what makes some Chinese-Indonesians still secretly blame the students for rising up against Soeharto 16 years ago.

And so the weird pattern of blaming the bully'€™s fighter, rather than the bully, emerges. It is easy for a Chinese-Indonesian to show support for President Jokowi, but he or she can be more reserved regarding Governor Ahok.

Even more strangely, some feel uncomfortable with Ahok'€™s larger-than-life personality and sharp tongue. These people believe that Ahok will only invite trouble for other Chinese-Indonesians '€” no matter how big their contempt for hardline Islamist groups.

What is ironic is the enthusiasm of other Indonesians, including so many Muslims, for the prospect of Ahok taking care of Jakarta. The reality is that the non-Chinese are fine with him, are happy with him, while some Chinese Jakartans are biting their lips and, again, are worried about a possible backlash.

Complaining about imperfection is a favorite Chinese sport, including complaining about how terrible Indonesia is. But now is not the time for that.

Indonesia is lucky to have the best available men and women running the government and cities. At a time when the quality of national and local governments is deteriorating in Asia, we choose to move forward. When other Islamic democracies are flirting with conservatism, we'€™ve decided to improve our democracy.

Fighting-man Ahok is a good role model for Chinese-Indonesians and that is not because he is outspoken or because he joined politics.

It is because he is determined to repair and clean the capital'€™s horrific clogs and messes.

He is not afraid of crossing the bad guys '€” those people whose deeds drench us in acid rain, waste our time with traffic jams and torture us with terrible television programs.

It is simply a miracle that Ahok is where he is now. He had made brave and very risky calls, from standing up against his former party to declaring war on the detested Islam Defenders Front (FPI).

Indonesians have given him so much credit, so it is only right for Chinese-Indonesians to count Ahok as a brother.

If politics and activism are too scary (and they are), then there are so many other possibilities.

Many bloggers have offered tips on starting a personal '€œmental revolution'€. Put trash into bins. Follow the rules. Treat everyone with respect. Reject corruption.

Be on time. Be patient.

Many Chinese-Indonesians compare Indonesia unfavorably to Singapore and yet like other Indonesians, many of them break the rules.

Why complain about how dirty Jakarta is if you don'€™t carry your trash with you? Why complain about how corrupt Indonesians are if you are also addicted to the quick-and-easy fix?

Fellow Chinese-Indonesians, you may be nationalistic or you might be cynical about Indonesia. I do not care as long you keep buildings clean and you treat store staff with respect.

Ahok may not make Jakarta as clean and safe as Singapore any time soon, but it is much better to help him do his job than to fret about the FPI or complain about floods.

He is working and so should you.

The year 2014 has been a roller coaster one for Chinese-Indonesians, especially in Jakarta.