The chances of Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama running as an independent candidate in the 2017 governor’s election are looking worse every day, despite the fact that Teman Ahok, the volunteer group set up to make that dream a reality, has already collected over 1 million KTP ID cards in support of his independent run.
After the House of Representatives (DPR) passed a new Regional Elections Bill (RUU Pilkada) that put into place difficult-to-meet standards for supporter ID verification, a scandal involving ex-Teman Ahok members claiming the organization was using fraudulent methods to collect KTPs made the DPR’s once ridiculous sounding new verification rules seem necessary.
Knowing that they have to win back the public’s trust if they want to have a shot at getting Ahok back into office as an independent, Teman Ahok has invited members of the public including numerous supporters and detractors to assist them in manually verifying the KTPs they have collected.
“In addition to those who still have doubts, we invite volunteers and representatives of political parties to [recalculate the KTP total] together. So that everybody can see for themselves how many the 1 million KTPs really are, their quality, and they can also see the process we use to input them and the database that we have built,” said Teman Ahok spokesperson Amalia Ayuningtyas in an official statement on the Teman Ahok website today.
Amalia also said that the accusations that Teman Ahok was collecting fake supporter KTPs was unfounded and that the attacks were politically motivated.
Teman Ahok will hold a manual count of the million ID cards they have collected on Wednesday, June 29, from 11am to 7pm, in the courtyard of the Teman Ahok offices located in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta.
The organization says it has invited 100 people representing a broad range of interests, from Ahok supporters to those who oppose his independent run, to oversee the recalculation process. Members of the public who wish to join have been instructed to call 08128834873 to confirm their attendance.
