TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Bandung Mayor, Ridwan Kamil, plays down the rumor of a strained relationship between him and Jakarta Governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama. The rumor has been sparked by news that he would challenge Basuki in 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election.

Ridwan Kamil said that he and Ahok, Basuki’s nickname, are still friends. “Mr. Ahok and I are friends; the rumour has been circulating as Jakarta election draws near,” said Ridwan Kamil, Thursday, February 4, 2016.

Moreover, Ridwan Kamil added that he has similarities with Ahok in their regional leaderships. “Mr. Ahok and I have similarities; we both want to make bureucratic reform to make it more professional. We want to make changes to the city as quick as possible,” he said.

In addition, Ridwan Kamil consider Ahok as one of the most hard working and professional leaders. “Mr. Ahok is quite similar to me; hard working and professional,” he said.

Ridwan Kamil has often spare his time to meet Ahok when attending events in Jakarta to tighten their relationship. “We often hold talks, share our thoughts, learn from each other. Jakarta learns from Bandung, Bandung learns from Jakarta,” he said.

Similar to Ahok, he hoped that both of his and Ahok’s data-style leaderships could inspire young people to get involved in politics. “I hope that I and Mr. Ahok could persuade young people to get involved in politics to improve this country,” he said.

PUTRA PRIMA PERDANA