Golkar pins high hopes on Ahok

JAKARTA. Golkar Party chairman Setya Novanto has expressed his party’s hope that Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama will bring more improvements to the city following the party’s declaration of support for the governor in next year’s gubernatorial election.

Setya said Golkar was looking for a smart, brave and tough governor who could improve the quality of life of the city’s residents. The politician believes Ahok is the right figure to develop Jakarta.

"With Ahok, we hope development in the city can be accelerated. I believe in Ahok's leadership abilities," Setya said during the party’s regional conference (Musda) in Jakarta on Sunday.

Setya noted that compared with other metropolitan cities across the world, Jakarta was behind in many respects. For example, it is still facing difficulties in building skyscrapers, he said.

Citing Ahok as Golkar’s “lost boy”, Setya believes the governor can boost development in the city because he is rich with innovative ideas. During his term in the House of Representatives under the Golkar faction from 2009 to 2014, Ahok offered valuable ideas about the development of information technology in the country.

As such, Setya said the party was optimistic that Ahok could develop the capital in a positive way.

The Golkar Party has declared its political support for Ahok in next year's gubernatorial election. The acting chief of Golkar’s Jakarta chapter, Yorrys Raweyai, said his party’s support for Ahok came without preconditions because the party wanted to offer Ahok the freedom to run as an independent candidate or on the party’s ticket.

"It is up to Ahok, whether he will run as an independent candidate or with Golkar. In principle, we will support him. We will even let him to run with support from his volunteer group, Teman Ahok," Yorrys said. (Callistasia Anggun Wijaya)