TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The name Basuki Tjahaja Purnama or Ahok, is closely attached to the memories of his former employees that used to spend their days working at the Jakarta City Hall under Ahok`s leadership.
According to one of the staff member who worked for the former Jakarta Governor for five years, Michael Victor Sianipar, Ahok was a leader that was very open to his employees.
“He often shares what he thinks and feels to his staff members,” said Michael yesterday in a book launch of "Ahok dan Hal-Hal yang Belum Terungkap" (Ahok and the untold stories) held at the Kinokuniya bookstore in Plaza Senayan.
Read: Ahok Writes about His Days in Prison
The book compiles the professional stories and personal memories of Ahok that were written by 21 former employees.
As Michael explained, Ahok would often tell stories of what he experiences on a daily basis to his employees at the dinner table. “Either during lunch or dinner, he would tell us stories of the people that he met and the problems he faced,” said Michael.
According to Michael, he viewed Ahok as an individual who enjoyed interacting with other people, which is the reason why he said that Ahok prefers not to eat alone.
“He likes to invite staff members or guests and head of departments to have a meal with him,” he recalled.
Another former Ahok staff member, Ayu Kartika Dewi, shared the same sentiment as Michael and recalled the many personal topics of conversations that Ahok used to tell his staff members.
Kartika Anggraeni