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akarta Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama has sworn in South Jakarta'€™s deputy mayor, Tri Kurniadi, to become the municipality'€™s new mayor, replacing his superior Syamsuddin Noor, who was demoted to become a regular staff member.

Ahok said during the inauguration ceremony at City Hall on Thursday that he replaced Syamsuddin because he saw no progress from the former mayor for two years.

'€œDistrict and subdistrict leaders in South Jakarta barely respond to complaints in Qlue,'€ he said. Qlue is a crowd-sourcing smartphone application for residents through which users can report various matters like flooding, illegal dumps and traffic.

Ahok said he received reports that the South Jakarta administration officials often extorted money out of businessmen who violated the Spatial Plan Bylaw. '€œMany buildings are proven to violate the bylaw, but none of them are torn down,'€ he said.

Ahok added that he had warned the former mayor to sack officials who would not follow the rules. '€œThere are only two possibilities if you do not fire your subordinates if they violate the rules: either you are afraid or you are also enjoying the money,'€ he said, adding that both motives would lead to sacking.

He said he hoped that Tri could prove he can perform well. '€œI assigned him because of the recommendation of City Council Speaker Prasetio Edi Marsudi,'€ he said.