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Continuity and change in Jakarta — or will Anies pull a Trump?
Let’s hope that at least Anies doesn’t pull a Trump and can maintain the incredible progress his predecessor made!
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Newly inaugurated Governor Anies Baswedan and his Deputy Governor Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno pose for the camera. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
D
o you have a friend who always disagrees and contradicts everything you say? I’m sure we’ve all had the experience of knowing someone like that. But if this friend gets too annoying, you just unfriend them, right? On Facebook, it just takes one click. Poof, they’re gone!
Unfortunately, if it’s the President of the United States who exhibits this kind of behavior, you can’t “poof” him away with the click of a mouse. Yup, Donald Trump’s presidency is notoriously characterized for being contrarian, like the man himself.
Policywise, he seems hell bent on obliterating everything his predecessor, Barack Obama, did. His most aggressive act is to kill Obamacare, the nickname for the Affordable Care Act.
The citizens of Jakarta are now experiencing a similar situation, with a new governor, Anies Baswedan, and vice governor, Sandiaga Uno, who were officially inaugurated by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Oct. 16.
How are they similar? I’ll explain. But first, a bit of background.
I knew Anies when he was rector of Paramadina University (2007-2014). He came across as a bright, moderate young Muslim intellectual, who believed in inclusivity, pluralism and an Islam that is rahmatan lil alamin, meaning, a faith that brings blessings and wellbeing to the entire inhabitants of the universe. In short, the embodiment of the compatibility of Islam and democracy.
But during the elections, social media and the press were full of expressions of deep disappointment at Anies’s metamorphosis. He became the personification of divisiveness, sectarianism, cynicism, criticizing and insinuating with body language and facial expressions that were close to devilish. It was horrifying to watch. Shockingly, he embraced the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), an extremist group that ultimately wants a caliphate.
