TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - It is almost certain that Anies Rasyid Baswedan and Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno will be the next governor and deputy governor of Jakarta. They have much work to do: from resolving the dispute over the Jakarta Bay reclamation project to close the widening gap between the capital's rich and poor. But what they must do straight away is to reunite the divided people of Jakarta.
The intense campaign that began last September has left behind many wounds. For six months, the Anies-Sandi team and the supporters of incumbents Basuki Tjahaja Purnama and Djarot Saiful Hidayat traded fierce insults and invectives. More than a few friendships fell apart as a result of the heated nature of disagreements. Now is the time to bury the hatchet and embrace one another as citizens of Jakarta.
To bring this about, Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno must begin to position themselves as moderates, able to bridge the divides between interest groups backed by different individuals. The heated rhetoric that burned the ears of opponents during the campaign must be left behind. There must be no more statements that could be interpreted as taking sides with any particular groups. As victor, Anies must be the governor of all Jakartans--not only those who voted for him.
This will not be easy, especially since the strategy of Anies's campaign team was to sell Islam as an identity. He also embraced radical Islamist groups known for their intolerance and opposition to diversity, such as the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI). If he wants to be accepted by all the people of Jakarta without exception, Anies has no option but to keep his distance from hardline Islamist groups.
This choice is important because of data indicating that religion played an important role in last week's vote. Although the official results are not yet in, according to the Jakarta General Election Commission (KPU), Anies-Sandi won 3,239,688 votes, or 57.95 percent, while Basuki-Djarot garnered 2,350,887, or 42.05 percent. This means that Basuki's vote did not increase from the first round, when he won almost the same number of votes, 2,364,577. In other words, almost all the votes of Agus Yudhoyono--the candidate eliminated in the first round--went to Anies. We know that these two candidates did not submit any original proposals except for 'patching up' the shortcomings of the incumbent, for example, the Ahok style of development, which was seen as not favoring the poor, and Ahok's poor public image. The 'don't vote for a non-Muslim' campaign had a major impact in pressuring voters to move from Agus to Anies.
Deciding who to vote for based on the candidate's religion or ethnicity is a step backwards for our democracy. If the leadership quality and candidate's record are not the priority, the essence of politics as an endeavor to find the most competent public servants, loses its meaning.
There was also a fatal blunder by the Basuki-Djarot team, which played a part in their defeat. The movement by their supporters to distribute rice and groceries during the pre-vote campaign-free period created political antipathy. Had they been more alert on the voters sense of rationality, this type of political maneuver should not have been made.
Only after working towards a reconciliation should Anies and Sandi begin to think about realizing their campaign promises. Developing Jakarta without evictions, building cheap housing and improving the system of governance are major tasks that will not be easy. Ensuring they take the side of the poor while guaranteeing the continuation of programs and services will be a challenge in itself. With no experience in managing a region as a leader, Anies needs to build alliances so his plans can materialize.
Undeniably, over the last three years, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama has sharply raised the minimum standard for the Jakarta governor. Basuki has set out the fundamentals for the development of the capital. Therefore, Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno must waste no time: get ready and get things right. With high hopes resting on them, the new governor and his deputy should step on the gas right after their inauguration on October. (*)
Read the full story in this week's edition of Tempo English Magazine
