Jakarta’s City Hall took on a livelier appearance on Wednesday (26/4), with hundreds of flower boards expressing gratitude for the service of Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama and Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat adorning its front yard.
Despite heavy rain, flower arrangements from individuals, families and communities kept piling up at Jakarta’s City Hall until Wednesday (26/4) night. Earlier, the verandah of City Hall was full of people lining up for hours to meet Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama.
Among the people lining up was Lusi, 24, who sat on the stairs of the veranda with her three-and-a-half-year-old child. She was taking a rest before joining the lineup with hundreds of others to meet and get a photograph with Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama. The line blocked the entrance to the guest room of the governor.
“We want to cheer up Pak Ahok and Pak Djarot. There are many places for them to serve the people,” said Lusi, who had come with friends in three cars from Ceger, Cipayung, East Jakarta. They had paid Rp 50,000 each for transportation and the flowers.
The flower arrangements filled up the yard of City Hall. Many of them were put on the sidewalk in front of the building.
During Jakarta’s recent gubernatorial election, Lusi had voted for the incumbent governor. She accepted the fact that the incumbent lost in the poll and said she only hoped governor-elect Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno would continue the programs to make Jakarta much better, such as keeping the rivers clean, maintaining the Jakarta Smart Card and running the administration transparently.
Similar aspirations were expressed by Sita, 45, from the BFF social group, who arrived in white shirts and blue denim pants. They voiced their appreciation for the incumbent’s programs, which reflect in clean rivers and canals as well as the transparent administration.
“We want to see honest and achieving officials who serve the people. Possibly, they could join the Cabinet,” she said.
Their enthusiasm for good performance saw them willing to line up to personally thank Basuki and Djarot. Despite their gratitude, they were also sad. “We are really sad, because we just saw a governor who has worked consistently, but now we have to depart,” said Sita.
They had queued for more than three hours to meet and to be photographed with Basuki. After the photo session, they checked their photos through their phones and expressed their excitement.
Although her candidate lost the election, Sita hoped the winning team of Anies-Sandi would continue the good programs.
Not emotional feeling
The messages on the flower arrangements sent to City Hall and the faces of people lining up did not reflect sadness or anxiety. Instead, the people were excited and lined up in orderly fashion.
Other residents also patiently queued, such as Syanete, 54, Tiominar, 59, Leily, 51 and Lendry, 33, who were academic staff with a school near City Hall. They expressed their hope that the new governor would pay more attention to educational issues.
“Please be patient, ladies and gentlemen. I assure you that you can meet Pak Ahok,” a security guard said at 11 a.m.
The people waited until 3 p.m., as Basuki had to meet several guests and took a rest.
When the rain began in the afternoon, hundreds of people who had waited with patience were invited in to meet with Basuki. “Thank you, thank you for your support,” Basuki said to a group of residents after a photo session. Each group consisted of 15-20 people.
Until Wednesday noon, there were around 1,500 flower arrangements, according to City Hall officials. They were arranged to form walls. One huge flower board sent by the Indonesian Solidarity Party measuring 4x12 meters was put on the sidewalk of Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat. It reads, “One loss, a thousand blossoms. Thank you, Ahok!”
Security guards seemed unprepared to handle the influx of flowers.
Peaceful reconciliation
Reni Suwarso, the director of Election and Political Party Study Center at the University of Indonesia, said the flowers and the people at City Hall symbolized a peaceful reconciliation after a divisive gubernatorial election. During the campaign, the social and political climate in Jakarta was heated and marred with ethnic, religious, racial and social issues. The flowers, the public appreciation and concession of defeat were a good political gesture. It was a great reconciliation among the elites and the people.
“It was a way of conveying the message peacefully. It contrasted with the rude and noisy campaign [period with many] hoaxes. This was a form of peaceful and elegant resistance,” Reni said.
Reni said the peaceful and elegant methods were a breakthrough. Flowers were known as a symbol of love, either representing excitement or sadness. This peaceful message would hopefully put an end to the political row soon.
That, Reni said, had to be appreciated. Supporters of Basuki-Djarot at least had conveyed the message of defeat in the language of flowers and peace. The governor and deputy governor-elect now face the challenge of serving Jakartans, and the incumbent has set the bar high for public services.
At City Hall, the walls of flowers and queues of people became lasting symbols of hope and appreciation for leadership.
