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BTP, Puput, Vero: Personal or political?
One ethnic-Chinese Indonesian has more than just Chinese New Year to celebrate. He also recently regained his freedom after 20 months’ incarceration, and plans to get married very soon after his release on Jan. 24. Wow! Not wasting any time, are we?
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Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (C), popularly known as Ahok. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
To all celebrating Chinese New Year yesterday, I wish you Gong Xi Fa Cai, which means “congratulations and be prosperous”!
One ethnic-Chinese Indonesian has more than just Chinese New Year to celebrate. He also recently regained his freedom after 20 months’ incarceration, and plans to get married very soon after his release on Jan. 24. Wow! Not wasting any time, are we?
Of course, I am referring to Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, who now wants to be called “BTP”. Shortly before his release, he wrote a letter, in which he said, among other things, he was glad he was not reelected as Jakarta governor in the 2017 regional election.
“I preferred to be held in Mako [Mobile Brigade Command headquarters] […] to learn to control myself for the rest of my life. If I had been reelected again, I would have been more arrogant [...] ruder [...] and would hurt more people.” Oh, reformed man, are we?
