T

hree weeks before the runoff election, Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama and his contender Anies Baswedan took to the stage for a live television debate in which they hurled acrimonious remarks at each other, fueling revulsion among their supporters.

Combative remarks had, in fact, already been exchanged in the previous official debates conducted by the city’s General Elections Commission (KPU Jakarta) ahead of the first round of the election.

However, in the 90-minute debate hosted by presenter Najwa Shihab on Metro TV, the two candidates seemed to go all out, easily addressing highly sensitive issues, including religious blasphemy.

The former education and culture minister, for instance, blamed Ahok for stirring up religious sentiment among residents through a speech in Thousands Island regency last year, in which Ahok had touched on Surah Al Maidah 51.

Ahok, Anies claimed, had also uttered a joke about that Quranic verse during a meeting at City Hall.

Ahok’s statement had contributed to the current situation with several mosques refusing to hold prayers for deceased people who had voted for the incumbent, Anies said.

“He is a public official, the governor and a gubernatorial candidate who keeps making unnecessary statements,” Anies said during the debate.

Anies, who is running with businessman Sandiaga Uno, went on to say that he was going to “dismiss” Ahok from his position.

The incumbent, known for his short temper and poor choice of words, managed to maintain his composure and circumvent the string of tirades from the scholar, saying he was used to being blamed by rivals who lacked good programs.

Ahok, who is running with Djarot Saiful Hidayat, took a jab at Anies’ programs, especially his education assistance program, which Ahok claimed could damage student’s attitude.

Anies’ “zero percent down payment home loan” program was unrealistic compared to Ahok’s program to provide low-cost apartments for the poor, Ahok added.

While the heated debate between the candidates finished on Monday evening, the debate between their supporters continued via social media until Tuesday morning.

Ahok’s supporters criticized Anies for attacking Ahok personally, while Anies’ supporters said the incumbent could not properly rebut Anies’ statements, which were all based on data.

Sirojudin Abbas, program director of Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC), said such animosity might continue or even escalate ahead of the election.

By blaming Ahok for stirring up religious tension among residents, Anies seemed to justify the acts of people spreading banners and pamphlets exploiting ethnic, religious, racial or social group [SARA] sentiments to intimidate Ahok’s supporters.

“Anies may appear to justify people [exploiting SARA issues] by suggesting it is Ahok who is guilty of provoking residents. His statements imply that Ahok should be held responsible for this tension,” he said.

He added that Anies’ statements, which might have been aimed at energizing his supporters, were improper.

To reduce the tension between Anies’ and Ahok’s camp, Sirojudin said the authorities, including the police, the public order agency and the city administration, should be proactive in maintaining peace by removing any hate banners and pamphlets.

Meanwhile, Siti Zuhro, a political researcher from the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI), said nothing was wrong with Anies’ remarks against Ahok, as they could not be classified as attacking the incumbent’s personality.

It was undeniable that during his term as governor, Ahok had uttered some inappropriate remarks before the press. Therefore, he should be held accountable and explain his attitude in the debate, Siti said.

She added that ahead of the election, Ahok and Anies, as well as their campaign teams, should remind their supporters to maintain peace and security.