SP/Hotman Siregar – Deputy Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama condemned Home Affairs minister Gamawan Fauzi's suggestion that the city administration should transfer a Christian ward chief to a different post due to protests organized by Muslim hard-liners.

"I think the minister needs to learn the constitution," Basuki said. "This is a country [that upholds the state ideology of] Pancasila. Public officers are not appointed based on who rejects or accepts them."

Gamawan said that Governor Joko Widodo should transfer ward chief Susan to a non-Muslim area because of dissent in her current community.

"The governor didn't do anything wrong or violate any law" by appointing Susan as the ward chief of Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta, Gamawan told Liputan 6 News on Wednesday.

"But it would be wiser if Susan were placed in a non-Muslim [community], so people's aspirations could be fulfilled and the governor could still have Susan as an urban ward chief."

Basuki said Susan's position should not be revoked just because there are protests, especially since the protests are not related to her job performance.

"The people that reject Susan do not make up half of the total population of Lenteng Agung residents," Basuki said. "The religious differences reason is unreasonable."

Susan was appointed ward chief in July after passing a series of tests, including a written exam, a psychological examination and an interview.

Some 60 residents rallied against Susan on Wednesday, rejecting her on the claim that 99 percent of the population in Lenteng Agung was Muslim. They claimed to have gathered around 2,300 residents to support their demand that the Jakarta administration replace her with someone Muslim.

Joko said he had no intention of removing Susan from her post. "I evaluate public officials based on their integrity and their ability to complete the tasks assigned to them," he said. "We only care about their achievements – whether or not they can serve the public." The Setara Institute, a Jakarta-based human rights group, supported Joko and Basuki 's position.

"Just ignore [Gamawan's suggestion], because the city administration's decision [to appoint Susan] is legal and constitutional and it has also fulfilled good-governance principles," said Bonar Tigor Naipospos, deputy chairman of Setara Institute.

Bonar urged Joko and Basuki to hold their ground, lest similar demands become common across the country. "Jakarta is a tolerance barometer and also a microcosm of Indonesia's diversity," he said.

On Wednesday, Susan asked ward residents to give her a chance. "I hope the residents can see my performance," she told Indonesian news portal Kompas.com. "The governor is actually conducting performance evaluations within six months."

After meeting with the protestors, she said she thought it was normal for her constituents to speak their minds and that she would consider to serve the public regardless of the protests.