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Why you can't be a leader without trust

There is no pretending. Ahok voters will never switch sides and they shouldn’t be expected to abandon their idealism.

Sondang Grace Sirait (The Jakarta Post)

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Yangon

Fri, May 5, 2017 Published on May. 5, 2017 Published on 2017-05-05T09:39:37+07:00

Hundreds of wreath displayed in front of the city hall in Central Jakarta, Wednesday, April 26,2017. The wreaths was sent by Basuki and Djarot supporters expresing their gratitude for their leadership (JP/Seto Wardhana)

N

ow that the dust has settled, Jakartans will have to get ready to face a new future with their newly elected governor Anies Baswedan and deputy governor Sandiaga Uno. Change is bound to happen, although it’s set to take place amid the remarkable resilience shown by supporters of Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama and Djarot Saiful Hidayat.

As that day looms, this great city will find itself ever more divided on social media and in real life.

What we ought to thank Ahok and Djarot for is the fact that they have succeeded in oiling the wheels of collective action and in building a tradition of trust in government like never before. The amount of social capital amassed during their tenure is both respectable and enviable.

But now, having succumbed to the influence of identity politics played against a widening socioeconomic gap, those modern, secular dynamics will cease and give way to what still looks like an unchartered territory dominated by religious cohorts.