Kupang (Antara NTT) - An academician said the Jakarta gubernatorial election had failed to serve as a political education for the people with the nation`s elites legalizing sectarianism.
"The Jakarta regional election entirely failed to provide political education . It did not reflect a civilized democracy as it capitalized on hate on the minority," Dr Ahmad Atang from the Muhammadiyah University of Kupang, said here on Saturday.
Atang said the Jakarta regional election phenomenon could lead to burying the political right of the minority adding the impact of the practice is feared to spread to other regions in the country.
Atang was commenting on negative reactions reported by a number of major foreign news agencies about the result of Wednesday`s Jakarta gubernatorial election. The election ended with the defeat of incumbent Christian and ethnic Chinese Basuki Tjahaja Purnama alias Ahok by Anies, who was backed up by opposition parties and Islam fundamentalists.
Ahok was overwhelmingly defeated by Anies Baswedan despite surveys showing that 70 percent of the Jakarta voters expressed satisfaction with the performance of the outgoing governor.
Unlike gubernatorial elections in other regions, Jakarta election had attracted national even international attentions perhaps because of its closeness to the center of political power.
Jakarta voters are considered more rational than voters in any other regions in the country but sectarianism has been displayed in elections in Jakarta more than than in other regions.
The defeat of Ahok and the victory of Anies had been attributed more to religious and race sentiments.
Ahmad Atang said religious faith has been misused in political games in the country, but not as blatant as in the last Jakarta election.
In the Jakarta election religion had been flagrantly used as a political instrument by the nation`s elites and it was unfair to the minority, Ahmad Atang, who is also a political science instructor at the Nusa Cendana University, said.
Religions have become a relatively perfect instrument to kick out political rivals from the minority groups, he added.
