I

t has never been easy for people from minority groups to penetrate Indonesia’s political scene, with top political seats in the country largely filled by people of the majority religion and ethnicity.

So when Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, a Christian of Chinese descent from the small town of Belitung Timur in Bangka Belitung, was inaugurated as the governor of Jakarta in November 2014, it was considered a political milestone in the country.

It took a decade for Ahok to secure the top seat at the capital since he started his political career in 2004, when he ran for a seat at Belitung Timur Regional Council (DPRD).

After slowly building his political career for a decade, Ahok has finally stepped out of the political spotlight, at least for now, as he submitted a letter of resignation from his position as Jakarta governor to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Tuesday.

In the letter dated May 23, Ahok wrote that he would resign in consideration of the North Jakarta District Court’s verdict and sentence on May 9 and the Presidential Decree dated May 12, which ordered Ahok’s temporary dismissal as governor.

The letter was signed by Ahok at the Police Mobile Brigade Command headquarters detention center, Depok, West Java, where he is currently being detained.

“On May 23, Ahok delivered a letter of resignation from his position as Jakarta’s governor to the President, one day after dropping his appeal [against his two-year prison sentence for blasphemy],” Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said on Wednesday. “He should, therefore, be dismissed as soon as possible and Djarot will replace him as definitive governor.”

Tjahjo was referring to acting Jakarta governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat.

Ahok’s dismissal will be carried out after the Jakarta High Court releases an official letter stating that Ahok has withdrawn his appeal.

With five months left before Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno take up their gubernatorial and vice gubernatorial positions, Ahok’s dismissal means that the post of deputy governor will soon be vacant.

Home Ministry regional autonomy director-general Sumarsono said he expected the ministry to finish processing the administrative requirements to propose the inauguration of Djarot as definitive governor to Jokowi next week.

Besides submitting his resignation letter to the President, Ahok has also returned his remaining operational funds as governor, to the amount of Rp 1,287,096,775 (US$96,708), to the bank account of the city administration’s secretariat.

On Monday, Ahok, through his wife Veronica Tan, withdrew his appeal less than an hour after his defense team had filed the appropriate documents.

Even though Ahok has withdrawn his appeal, the Jakarta High Court will proceed with its plan to reexamine the verdict as prosecutors in Ahok’s case have appealed against the court’s decision.