ICC Note:

The defeat of Ahok in Jakarta’s recent political race for Governor was a win for religious sectarianism and a loss for tolerance. Ahok, who was the incumbent, is Christian of Chinese descent. He was originally projected to win by a landslide. He was known for his work that “tackled corruption expanded health care, pushed forward on plans to clear up Jakarta’s canals, and is credited with ensuring that the construction of the capital city’s first metro system stays on schedule.” His opponent, on the other hand, had never held an elected office and it is believed he mishandled funds and accepted bribes in his previous positions. More importantly, he kept close ties with the hardline Muslim organization, Islamic Defender’s Front (FPI), the organization behind the mass protests against Ahok and the main driving force behind coercing Indonesia’s government to try Ahok for blasphemy against the Quran. Although Ahok represented a possible new era of secularism and religious tolerance in Indonesia’s government, his opponent’s victory may signal a swing in the opposite direction toward ultra-conservatism and intolerance. A political analyst said, “Mainstream political elites [used] religious and ethnic appeals to de-legitimize a candidate, to… crush an opponent. This is new to Indonesia.”

4/21/2017 Indonesia (The Diplomat) – In the end, it wasn’t even close. The much anticipated second round election for Jakarta’s governorship was a dud, with challenger Anies Baswedan easily outperforming pre-election polls and soundly defeating incumbent Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama by 16 points. The result has sent shockwaves across Indonesia and the world, with many comparing the result to the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency.

“Mainstream political elites [used] religious and ethnic appeals to de-legitimize a candidate, to… crush an opponent. This is new to Indonesia,” said Douglas Ramage, a political analyst and the Managing Director of the consultancy BowerGroupAsia in Indonesia.

Stunningly, it seems that most of those who voted for the third-place finisher in the first round, Agus Yudhoyono, swung to Anies. Ahok’s strong debate performances, his record as governor, and the support, albeit not as forthcoming as might have been hoped, from President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo were not enough when facing the power of a force few had considered potent until today: conservative Islam.

…