President Joko Widodo (L) talks to Acting Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama in Jakarta (10/22). Tempo/Aditia Noviansyah
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Acting Governor of Jakarta Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, said that he will likely to resing from his position, if Muhammad Taufik from the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) party is elected as Jakarta Governor. Ahok said that Taufik, who currently sits as Deputy Head of the Jakarta Regional House of Representatives is trying to occupy the governor position.
"[...] he is looking for loopholes in which [I] can remain as deputy [governor]. Then, he will be my governor," Ahok said. "I choose to quit."
Ahok later claimed that Gerindra has a partial understanding upon the Government Regulation No. 1/2014 on Regional Head. "They interpret the case of withdrawing governor as a means to elect new governor," he said. However, Ahok argued that the regulation contained a line in which the incumbent deputy governor will assume the governor position when a governor resigns.
