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New London mayor 'inspirational': Ahok
Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama says the victory of Sadiq Khan, a son of a bus driver who made history as the first Muslim mayor of England's capital city, is a source of inspirations to the city administration and Jakartans alike.
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Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjajaha Purnama speaks to journalists at City Hall on April 1. (Kompas.com/Kurnia Sari Aziza)
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span style="line-height:1.6em">The victory of Sadiq Khan, the son of a bus driver who has made history by becoming the first Muslim mayor of London, is a source of inspiration to the Jakarta administration and citizenry alike, says Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama.
Khan's humble background, especially in comparison to that of his wealthy rival Zac Goldsmith, whom he resoundingly beat in the contest for the UK capital top spot, would encourage the city administration to provide programs to improve the lives of the capital's poor, especially the children, Ahok said on Monday.
The programs that his administration have been focusing on include low-cost apartments (rusunawa), funding allocations for schoolchildren through the Jakarta Smart Card, nutritious-meal subsidies and free bus passes.
The city administration has also committed to granting Rp 18 million (US$ 1,354) a year to each Jakarta student who enters state universities this year.
Living in subsidized apartments would give a healthier and safer environment than living in slum areas, the outspoken governor argued.
The programs are parts of attempts to improve the quality of life of the less unfortunate children so they can have brighter futures.
"Who knows, maybe in the future, the children who live in rusunawa can also be mayor or even president. This is the inspiration we draw from Sadiq's election," Ahok told journalists on Monday.
Ahok congratulated Khan on Saturday through his Twitter account @basuki_btp: “Congratulations @SadiqKhan, the new mayor of London. Inspiring story of democracy, merit and tolerance.”
Khan’s victory is also hoped to inspire Jakarta voters to elect a candidate as governor in the upcoming 2017 gubernatorial election based on capacity and track record rather than race or religion, according to Teman Ahok (Friends of Ahok).
Labor Party candidate Khan won more than 1.3 million votes, 57 percent of the total, to lead the UK's most populous city; Conservative rival Goldsmith won 43 percent of the vote.
Khan was elected to replace Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson after a campaign marked — and many say marred — by negative campaigning accusing the Muslim politician of sharing platforms with Islamic extremists.
Unlike his rival Goldsmith, the son of billionaire businessman and financier Sir James Goldsmith, the 45-year old Khan was born to a family of Pakistani immigrants in South London, where his father worked as a bus driver to support the family while his mother was a seamstress.
Khan, who has called himself "the British Muslim who will take the fight to the extremists", will lead London, a proudly multicultural city of 8.6 million including more than a million Muslims, in a four-year term until 2020. (rin)
