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ne of the most divisive gubernatorial elections in the capital’s history is over. Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama has conceded defeat and has vowed to help his successor, Anies Baswedan, during the transition period.

But almost one week after voting day, animosity between the supporters of the candidates shows no sign of abating, with people still debating on social media over who is best positioned to lead the capital and harassing those who do not share the same political views.

Last Thursday, one day after voting day, Goenawan Mohammad, a senior writer and political observer, said in his poem Stigma that Ahok had been treated unfairly by the public due to his double minority status as a Christian and a Chinese-Indonesian in Muslim-majority Jakarta.

“The stigmatization [against Ahok] starts with a slander. He doesn’t blaspheme Islam but the accusation becomes a daily topic. We heard about it in mosques, social media and daily conversation. The allegation no longer becomes allegation, but a certainty,” he said.

Goenawan was referring to Ahok’s blasphemy case, where he was accused of blaspheming the Quran after he commented on a verse in the Quran that he believed had been used by his political opposition to convince voters to vote against him.

Prosecutors, however, dropped the blasphemy charges against Ahok at a court hearing last Thursday.

The poem, published on Goenawan’s Facebook page, has amassed hundreds of comments, with many voicing their bitterness over Ahok’s loss, and some criticizing Goenawan for supporting Ahok.

The use of a smear campaign and the exploitation of religious and racial issues took center stage during the election and many believe this has eroded people’s sense of unity and has caused huge social damage.

“The effect of the election will be long-lasting because political identity has been capitalized as means to win votes during a campaign,” Airlangga Pribadi Kusman, a political analyst from Surabaya’s Airlangga University, recently said. “Yet, the political elites [who exploited these sentiments] might not take such social effects into consideration.”

If the situation doesn’t change, it could further aggravate polarization in the capital and expand the negative sentiments toward those who hold minority statuses, Airlangga added.

“The political actors, from both tickets, should provide a counter-narrative by issuing strong statements and taking real action to ensure that they will uphold equality and unity in diversity and protect minority groups,” he said.

In what could be seen as a bid to reconcile with the opposition following the divisive election, presumptive deputy governor-elect Sandiaga Uno has pledged to hold events involving his rivals’ supporters.

Sandiaga recently said he would lead the capital with all Jakartans in mind, including the supporters of the incumbent pair.

“We can easily reach out because Jakarta is relatively small and we will hold activities to unite [all sides],” Sandiaga said at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta on Sunday. “We will make visits inviting supporters [of both tickets] without discrimination. Because Pak Anies and I should stand for all Jakartans and represent their interests without looking at their cultural background, race, religion or language.”

Sandiaga also urged the supporters of both contenders to move on. The public should start focusing on improving the livelihood and prosperity of the people in the city, he said.

“The discourse should now be about unity and not about celebrations that may hurt Jakartans who cast their votes for Pak Ahok and Pak Djarot [Ahok’s running mate],” he said.