Basuki Tjahaja Purnama facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Basuki Tjahaja Purnama
鐘萬學
Ahok in the year 2020
President Commissioner of Pertamina
In office 25 November 2019 – 2 February 2024
Deputy	Pahala Mansury [id]
Preceded by	Tanri Abeng
Succeeded by	Simon Aloysius Mantiri
12th Governor of Jakarta
In office 19 November 2014 – 9 May 2017
Vice Governor	Djarot Saiful Hidayat
Preceded by	Joko Widodo
Succeeded by	Djarot Saiful Hidayat
12th Vice Governor of Jakarta
In office 15 October 2012 – 16 October 2014
Governor	Joko Widodo
Preceded by	Prijanto [id]
Succeeded by	Djarot Saiful Hidayat
3rd Regent of East Belitung
In office 3 August 2005 – 22 December 2006
Deputy	Khairul Effendi
Preceded by	Usman Saleh (interim)
Succeeded by	AMB Suwargo (acting) Khairul Effendi [id]
Member of House of Representatives
In office 1 October 2009 – 26 April 2012
Succeeded by	Azhar Romli
Parliamentary group	Golkar
Constituency	Bangka Belitung
Personal details
Born	Tjoeng Wan Hok (1966-06-29) 29 June 1966 (age 59) Manggar, Indonesia
Political party	PDI-P
Other political affiliations	PKBIB (2004–2008) Golkar (2008–2012) Gerindra (2012–2014) Independent (2014-2019)
Spouses	Veronica Tan ​ ​ (m. 1997; div. 2018)​ Puput Nastiti Devi ​ (m. 2019)​
Children	5 children
Parents	Indra Tjahaja Purnama (father) Buniarti Ningsih (mother)
Relatives	Basuri Tjahaja Purnama (brother)
Alma mater	Trisakti University Prasetiya Mulya University
Occupation	Politician businessperson
Signature
Nicknames	Ahok BTP

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (born June 29, 1966) is an Indonesian businessman and a former governor of Jakarta. He is often called by his Hakka Chinese name, Ahok. He made history as the first ethnic Chinese and Christian governor of Jakarta. Before becoming governor, he served in other important roles.

Ahok was a member of the Indonesian Parliament. He also served as the Regent of East Belitung. In 2012, he became the Deputy Governor of Jakarta. He then became the Governor of Jakarta in November 2014. This happened when the previous governor, Joko Widodo, became president. During his time as governor, he faced some big challenges. He later left office and spent some time in prison.

Early Life and Education

Family Background

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama was born on June 29, 1966. His parents were ethnic Chinese of Hakka descent. He grew up in Manggar, East Belitung. He is the oldest son of Buniarti Ningsih and the late Indra Tjahaja Purnama. He has three siblings: Basuri Tjahaja Purnama, Fifi Lety, and Harry Basuki.

Ahok has five children. His first three children are Nicolas Sean, Nathania, and Daud Albeneer. He later had two more children, Yosafat Abimanyu Purnama and Sarah Eliana Purnama.

Schooling and University

Ahok went to Trisakti University. He studied mineral resources and technology there. In 1989, he earned a bachelor's degree in geological engineering. After graduating, he went back to his hometown. He started a company that worked on mining projects.

After working for two years, he decided to study more. He went to Prasetiya Mulya Business School in Jakarta. There, he earned a master's degree in financial management. This degree is called a Master of Business Administration.

Political Journey

First Steps in Politics

Ahok started his political career in his home area of Belitung. In 2005, he ran for Regent of East Belitung. He won the election with Khairul Effendi as his partner. He was elected with 37.13% of the votes.

He was known for being tough on corruption. He also worked to solve problems like traffic and labor issues. People sometimes called him "The Father" and "The Law." He helped increase the minimum wage for workers. He also moved street vendors to special markets to reduce traffic. He helped poor villagers move to new homes. He even did surprise checks on government offices. He suggested using cameras to make sure everyone was doing their job right.

Running for Governor

In 2006, Ahok left his role as East Belitung regent. He wanted to run for governor of Bangka-Belitung in 2007. Former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid encouraged him to run. Wahid supported Ahok's ideas for healthcare improvements. However, Ahok did not win this election.

In 2008, Ahok wrote a book about his ideas. It was titled Merubah Indonesia, which means Reforming Indonesia.

Time in Parliament

In 2009, Ahok was elected to the Indonesian Parliament. He was a member of the Golkar party. He received many votes, showing strong support. He worked in the Second Commission, which handles various important issues.

Deputy Governor of Jakarta

In 2011, Ahok thought about running for Jakarta governor. He decided not to run alone because it was hard to get enough signatures. Instead, he joined Joko Widodo as his running mate. They ran together in the 2012 election.

They won the election, defeating the current governor. Ahok became the Deputy Governor of Jakarta. Their team was supported by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra). In 2014, Ahok left the Gerindra party. He disagreed with their idea to stop direct elections for local leaders.

Becoming Governor of Jakarta

Ahok's official portrait as Governor of Jakarta

When Joko Widodo became president, Ahok took over as Governor of Jakarta. He was sworn into office on November 18, 2014.

One of his important actions was creating the Public Facility Maintenance Agency (PPSU). This agency started in May 2015. It set up cleaning and maintenance teams in local neighborhoods. This program was very successful. Residents liked it a lot. Even future leaders continued this program.

During his time, there were some investigations into land purchases. The State Audit Board looked into a land purchase for a hospital. They said the city paid too much. Another investigation looked at a land purchase in Cengkareng. The Corruption Eradication Commission questioned Ahok. They later said he did not do anything wrong in the hospital land case.

Reelection Campaign and Challenges

Ahok ran for reelection in the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election. He first planned to run as an independent candidate. A group called Teman Ahok (Friends of Ahok) gathered many supporters for him. However, new rules made it harder for independent candidates. So, Ahok ran with the support of several political parties. These parties included Golkar, the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), and the Nasdem Party. The PDI-P also supported him.

In the first round of voting, Ahok received about 43% of the votes. He moved on to the second round against Anies Baswedan. In the final round, Anies Baswedan was elected as the new governor. Ahok accepted the results.

Facing Difficulties

As a member of a minority group, Ahok sometimes faced unfair comments. During his campaign, some people targeted him because he was of Chinese descent. Also, being both Christian and Chinese made him a target for some hardline groups. These groups called for changes to Jakarta's rules. They wanted to remove some of the governor's duties related to Islamic organizations. Some comments even reminded people of past violence against Chinese Indonesians.

In late 2016, Ahok faced a big challenge. He made a statement during a government project visit. Some people misunderstood his words. A video of his speech was edited, which caused more confusion. Many people felt his statement was disrespectful. This led to large protests in Jakarta.

Some groups reported Ahok to the police. They said he had broken Indonesia's laws. On October 10, 2016, Ahok publicly apologized. He said he did not mean to offend anyone. He also pointed out that he had helped Muslims in many ways. For example, he approved permits for Islamic schools. He also built a mosque at City Hall.

On May 9, 2017, a court found Ahok responsible for the situation. He was sentenced to two years in prison. The judges said his words were disrespectful. They also considered a book he wrote in 2008. They believed this book showed he understood the meaning of the words in question.

Public Reaction

Many people in Indonesia and around the world were surprised by the court's decision. They saw it as a test of religious tolerance and free speech. Many believed the decision was influenced by political pressure. Some thought the judges gave in to pressure from certain groups. Civil society groups, like Amnesty International, protested his imprisonment. Candle-lit gatherings were held in many cities. Many people asked the Indonesian government to change the laws. They felt these laws were unfair to minorities.

Because of his imprisonment, Ahok could not finish his term as governor. His deputy, Djarot Saiful Hidayat, took over. Ahok first wanted to appeal his sentence. But he later decided not to. Even the prosecutors appealed, saying the sentence was too harsh. In 2018, Ahok asked the Supreme Court to review his case. But the court rejected his request.

Before his arrest, Ahok had said he hoped to be president one day. He was released from prison in January 2019. He then joined the PDI-P party. He asked people to call him 'BTP' instead of 'Ahok'.

After Prison

After his release, Ahok said he would not become a government official again. However, in 2019, President Joko Widodo appointed him. Ahok became the president commissioner of Pertamina. This is a state-owned oil and gas company. Some groups protested his appointment.

Ahok has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the 2024 Jakarta gubernatorial election. Even though he was in prison, he is allowed to run for regional leadership. He just needs to make a public announcement about his past imprisonment. In February 2024, he resigned from Pertamina. He did this to help with Ganjar Pranowo's presidential campaign.

Awards and Achievements