Reconciliation at the Grass Roots

Kompas/Handining

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The Jakarta election is long over. After the result was announced, people analyzed the victory or defeat of their champions – including the respective causes – in their daily conversations and in social media. Conspiracy theories, various emotional reactions, rationalizations from the losing side and expectations of better times ahead for the new governor dominated the public discourse in the first two weeks after the election.

One thing was missing in the in-depth analysis of the socio-psychological impact of the election at the grass roots, which may potentially become a latent conflict.