Outspoken politician Basuki Tjahaja Purnama was sworn in today as the governor of Jakarta, becoming the first ethnic Chinese to lead the Indonesian capital.

Basuki, who is Christian, was deputy governor under Joko Widodo and was in line to take the capital’s top job after Joko was elected president in July.

A hardline group, the Islamic Defenders’ Front, has held several street rallies calling for Basuki not to be installed as governor, accusing him of being unfriendly toward Muslims.

Basuki, known for his combative and no-holds-barred style, asked the government to disband the group, calling it anarchic and violent.

This month he apologised to Muslims for any offending remarks in the past.

“I apologise if you think I’m too rude,” he told a gathering of the Indonesian Council of Muslim Scholars.     

Basuki is the second Christian to become Jakarta’s governor.

Ethnic Chinese were the subject of social and political discrimination during the 32-year rule of the late dictator Suharto.

Despite his time in power, Suharto counted several ethnic Chinese tycoons as his close associates.          

The ethnic Chinese dominance of the economy has sparked resentment among some Indonesians, making them vulnerable to attacks during social unrest.

Suharto’s successor Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie revoked laws discriminating against ethnic Chinese, and the late president Abdurrahman Wahid declared Chinese New Year a national holiday in 2002.

- dpa