Former Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama has questioned vice presidential candidate and Surakarta Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s work performance, saying that his current run in the election is not based on any meritocratic record. 

In a video, which was uploaded on Tuesday, Basuki, formerly known as “Ahok”, is seen having a conversation with an 82-year-old woman who said she would vote for Prabowo-Gibran in the upcoming election.

Basuki, who has declared his support for the Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD ticket, told the crowd that he was worried about Prabowo Subianto-Gibran being elected as he believed that character is tested when a person wields power.

"Now I want to ask, where is the evidence that Gibran could work during his tenure as mayor [of Surakarta, Central Java]?" Basuki said in the video.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician reminded the lady that voting for a president must be based on a candidate’s ability to do the job.

Furthermore, Basuki also expressed his reluctance to vote for a presidential candidate who was unhealthy or over-emotional. However, he respected the woman’s decision to vote for the Prabowo-Gibran pair, saying that it was her democratic right.

Basuki later told reporters separately that he was only questioning Gibran’s capability because, unlike President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo or Ganjar, who had received their presidential nominations through a meritocratic system in the PDI-P, the 36-year-old was appointed vice presidential candidate due to his privileged status as the President’s son.

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