Ex-Jakarta governor Ahok says he is ‘damaged’ and his political career is over
- Basuki Tjahaja Purnama has received an award previously given to a former president and an activist, months after being released from prison
- After receiving it, he dispelled rumours he would be a minister in President Joko Widodo’s new government – citing his controversial past
Purnama, an ethnic Chinese and Christian, was sentenced to a prison term for blasphemy against Islam in 2017 after the circulation of a doctored video showed him telling supporters not to be fooled by a Koran verse that says Muslims should not vote for non-Muslims. He was then campaigning to be re-elected as governor.
It sparked a backlash from Muslim hardliners who rallied on Jakarta’s streets to demand he be punished, fuelling religious intolerance and encouraging its use as a political campaigning tool, according to analysts.
Purnama got divorced while in prison after a Jakarta court found there was adequate evidence of infidelity by his ex-wife. He was released from jail in January and reports say he has since married Puput Nastiti Devi, who is in her 20s and was formerly his ex-wife’s bodyguard. Puput accompanied Purnama to the awards ceremony on Monday.