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Schoolchild allegedly bullied with ‘Ahok’ name-calling
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Former Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama flashes a victory sign before being transferred to the National Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) detention center in Depok, West Java. (Antara/Ubaidillah)
A
n elementary school student in Pekayon, East Jakarta, has reportedly been bullied by his peers calling him “Ahok”, in reference to the jailed former Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, who is of Chinese descent.
A Facebook post, apparently by the student’s uncle, said the third-grader had been called Ahok ever since the legal case involving the former governor in the last gubernatorial election. The situation was “[exacerbated] by the use of the word pribumi”, the post read, referring to Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan using the term pribumi (indigenous people) in his inaugural speech earlier this month, in a move that was feared to stir up racial sentiment.
The Facebook post has gone viral and has prompted the parents to plan to move their son to another school.
The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) stated on Tuesday that, based on testimony from the boy's teacher, he had been called Ahok since he was in first grade. “It is alleged that he was called so, because he has slanted eyes and a fair complexion. At the time, the name of Ahok was considered positive, because Ahok got many compliments [as governor],” said Retno Listyarti, a commissioner with the KPAI.
Based on that assumption, the teachers apparently did not consider the name-calling by other students to be a form of bullying, and let them do so.
However, since Ahok was accused of blasphemy, the other students used the name with mischievous intent, said Retno.
“KPAI deems this to be bullying: The name’s meaning turned from positive to negative. This is allegedly what made his parents plans to move him to another school,” she explained.
