Ahead of the July presidential elections, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama has become the acting governor of Jakarta. This is the first time that Indonesia has been headed by an ethnic Chinese leader.

Indonesia's population is 95% made up of native Muslims. The country also has the biggest Muslim population in the world, Reuters said.

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Better known by his nickname "Ahok," Purnama takes the place of Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, who has stepped down to join the presidential bid on July 9. Should Jokowi win in the election, Ahok will automatically continue his five-year term.

Out of Indonesia's 240 million citizens, only 2% are Chinese. The small group is resented by most Indonesians because they control most of the trade and businesses in the country, and they are suspected of being loyal to China.

For these reasons, most Indonesian-Chinese have been intentionally prevented from entering the political and military ranks for almost 70 years since Indonesia gained its independence.

The resentment has sparked violent riots in the past. Although these bloody incidents now appear to be toned down, they are far from over.

Surprisingly, Ahok's critics in Jakarta complain more about his abrasive leadership style rather than his Chinese ethnicity. In an interview with Reuters, he said people nowadays tend to pay closer attention to a potential leader's track record instead of race and religion.

Ahok, who is also a Christian, has gained popularity for his tough stance in fixing Indonesia's bureaucracy. He has served as Jokowi's assistant since 2012 and has participated in efforts aimed at fixing main problems in the city such as constant traffic and flooding.

Videos of the Chinese governor losing his temper with incompetent bureaucrats have been widely circulated in the country. However, the public has been mostly in favor of Ahok's straightforward methods in a government saddled with inefficient bureaucracy and corruption.

Hardline Muslim groups have vowed to protest Ahok's rising rank in the Indonesian government. The same group lodged a protest last year when a Christian woman was appointed to the district office of Jakarta.

Still, Ahok believes Indonesia is now leaning toward being a pluralist and will soon welcome non-Muslim or even ethnic Chinese in public office.