JAKARTA. Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama has personally thanked his supporter group Teman Ahok (Friends of Ahok) for its success in collecting the 1 million identity-card copies necessary for him to run as an independent candidate in next year's gubernatorial election.

“It's not an easy task to collect 1 million of ID cards for me. I would rather fail to be a governor than abandon Teman Ahok," Ahok said during celebrations of Teman Ahok’s success in front of the group’s headquarters in Pejaten, South Jakarta, on Sunday.

Ahok is now backed by three parties, namely the Golkar Party, the Democratic Party, and the Hanura Party. The governor said he was grateful for the support of these parties because it showed that they had sided with the aspiration of the public.

Teman Ahok stressed that the group would coordinate with any political party that were willing to support Ahok in next year’s election. Teman Ahok founder Aditya Yogi Prabowo said the volunteer group had never been against political parties, where it only aimed to convey the public’s desires to parties by collecting the ID card copies.

"We're ready to talk with political parties and find the best way to support Ahok’s candidacy. We hope that they won't stop at just declaring their support but also take real action in supporting Ahok," Yogi said. (Callistasia Anggun Wijaya)

Editor: Barratut Taqiyyah Rafie