TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama said he would not mind if the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) did not nominate him in the 2017 Jakarta election.
“I’m fine with it. I’m just an employee, as I said before. I only focus on my job, to get up in the morning, come to work, meet with people,” Ahok said Friday at the City Hall.
Ahok said should Jakartans still want him to run for governor again, he should have been given the ticket to compete.
For example, he pointed out, Teman Ahok had given him the support needed to run on an independent ticket. “Until three parties offered a ticket, I then decided that I would definitely run [on party ticket],” Ahok said.
Ahok said if Djarot Saiful Hidayat—Jakarta Deputy Governor and PDIP cadre—feels he is still the right fit for him, he has to provide the ticket to run as a pairing for governor and deputy governor. “If you feel I’m the right fit, you should provide a ticket. We can run together. It’s that simple,” Ahok noted.
Ahok said he will still run for governor, having secured endorsements from three political parties—Nasdem, Hanura and Golkar Party—should the PDIP fail to reach a decision by September 21, the first day of registration for gubernatorial candidate to the Election Committee.
The three political parties are qualified to nominate Ahok and his future running mate in 2017 Jakarta election since they collectively have enough seats in the city council to do so. Nasdem Party has five seats, Hanura has ten and Golkar has nine.
FRISKI RIANA
