REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - A political observer, Firman Noor, hoped the government would be neutral in the event of elections in Jakarta. He said it would cost too much if the government involved on the political maneuver in the elections of Jakarta governor.
"The government would pay too much for the drama performances in Jakarta gubernatorial election this time. This showed the strategic aspect of this gubernatorial election," he told Republika.co.id on Thursday.
Related to the case involving Basuki Tjahaja Purnama alias Ahok, Firman said the government did not need to spend all its time and effort on the case. Moreover, he said, Ahok was a person who acknowledged being a trouble maker. "If the (government) did maximum sacrifice for someone who share the same class as Obama, it would be ok," the lecturer on political science and postgraduate programs of the Faculty of Social Science and Politics in Indonesian University said.