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Vote for the best governor, Ahok tells Jakartans
Jakarta Governor Basuki âAhokâ Tjahaja Purnama poses for a photograph with children in traditional attire after he opens a child-friendly park in Karet Tengsin, Central Jakarta on Dec
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span class="inline inline-center">Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama poses for a photograph with children in traditional attire after he opens a child-friendly park in Karet Tengsin, Central Jakarta on Dec. 30, 2015. (Antara/Rivan Awal Lingga)
Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama has told Jakarta's voters to elect the best candidate in the 2017 gubernatorial election to ensure that the capital city will be much better in the five coming years.
He says he doesn't mind if he is not elected, if there is a better candidate than himself.
'If there is a candidate who is better than me with more sensible policies, don't vote for me,' Ahok said in Jakarta on Wednesday.
'Who knows, [maybe] there is someone who could develop flood mitigation projects without evicting the people from slum areas, or there is someone who can solve traffic congestion without introducing electronic road pricing (ERP),' said Ahok.
Ahok is still the most electable candidate to be Jakarta governor. In a recent survey carried out by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Ahok's electability rating stands at 45 percent in the capital city, while Emil's is 15.75 percent, followed by Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini at 7.75 percent and former youth and sports minister Adhyaksa Dault with 4.25 percent.
Ahok said he plans to declare himself as an independent candidate in May, soon after his supporters, who are grouped in Teman Ahok (Friends of Ahok), manage to collect 1 million copies of identity cards.
The more candidates taking part in the gubernatorial election, the better it will be for Jakarta people, said the governor.
'I invite more people to join the election so that the voters have many choices. They can listen to their ideas, visions, mission, programs, strategy and policies [before deciding on their choice],' Ahok told journalists at City Hall. (bbn) (+)
