Let’s move back to today; a quick scan reveals that politicking based on religion and race in Indonesia — whose formative foundations include the separation of state and religion and the national motto of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (“unity in diversity”) — was not limited to the Jakarta gubernatorial campaign. Last October, soon after he sworn in as governor, Anies sparked a controversial debate related to racial matters by using the term pribumi, commonly meaning “indigenous,” in the following context: “In the past, we pribumi were the conquered. Now, it’s time for us to be the hosts in our own land. We worked hard to get rid of colonialism and we must enjoy our freedom.”