Indonesian Islamist politicians were overjoyed by the fact that a Muslim has been elected to lead a city where Islamophobia is practically normalized. Key supporters of former Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, an ethnic Chinese and Christian, a double minority in the world’s most populous Muslim country, were quick to label Mamdani as "the Ahok” of New York. These supporters argue that in a healthy democracy, Ahok should have won re-election. 

The reality is that Mamdani is far from the ideal candidate imagined by the Indonesian Islamists and the Ahok worshiping pro-pluralist activists. Mamdani is a liberal Shia Muslim who smokes weed and supports lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights. If he were an Indonesian, the Islamists would have regularly held street rallies against him.

He is also a democratic socialist who listens to the marginalized citizens of the world’s most unaffordable city. If he were a Jakarta gubernatorial candidate, the liberal, pro-market Ahok supporters would jeer and mockingly label him another social justice warrior nutcase.

Sophistication, or loyalty to facts, however, is often elusive in Indonesian political discourse, particularly in cyberspace. That Indonesians are currently squabbling on social media over who should own Mamdani’s victory represents everything that is wrong with the state of Indonesian politics, in which elections are often reduced to a battle between the “Islamists” and the “nationalists”, between the “traditionalists and conservatives” and “the progressive liberals”.

Such a dichotomy may be rooted in the long history of ideological contestation in Indonesia. But it is simplistic and, worse, prone to being exploited by the oligarchic elite to protect and further entrench their political economic interests.

Mamdani is in fact the candidate for Indonesian progressives, activists, academics, journalists, students and other groups fighting for social justice and democratic ideals. His victory is inspiring not because he is a Muslim or a minority fighting for his identity, the New York City election is not about that.