Election ink causes health problems: Study<\/p>\n
Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta<\/p>\n
An independent investigation revealed on Thursday that the
\nindelible ink used to mark the fingers of voters during the
\ngeneral election on April 5 could cause skin infections and even
\ntrigger cancer.<\/p>\n
\"We have found some people suffering from skin infections in
\nDadap hamlet, Rawa Buntu village in Serpong, Banten province
\nafter they tried to draw imitation tattoos using the ink,\"
\nIndonesian Procurement Watch (IPW) investigative director Hayie
\nMuhammad said.<\/p>\n
A Dadap resident, Juhana, told the team that even though he
\nand his friends had not used needles when \"tattooing\" each other,
\nsome of them suffered from itching and a burning sensation that
\nlasted for 20 days, Hayie said.<\/p>\n
Juhana said that he and his friends had a lot of fun with the
\nink after being informed that it would not wash off for several
\ndays.<\/p>\n
Hayie went on to say that the IPW had also brought the
\nindelible ink to the Polymer Technology Center (STP) and the
\nIndonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) for laboratory tests,
\nwhich revealed that it contained a prohibited colorant, crystal
\nviolet.<\/p>\n
He said the United Nations had long prohibited the use of
\ncrystal violet. The colorant had also been banned in Singapore in
\n1992 and Malaysia in 1998. \"Such a mistake reflects the KPU's
\nlack of regard for the health of people in this country,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Therefore, he demanded that the General Elections Commission
\n(KPU) withdraw the remaining stocks of indelible ink from almost
\n600,000 polling stations across the country.<\/p>\n
Every polling station was given two bottles of indelible ink
\nto ensure enough ink for over 147 million voters, but many
\npolling stations only used one bottle.<\/p>\n
\"We want the KPU to use safe indelible ink in the upcoming
\npresidential election; we could use the sort of ink they used in
\nSouth Africa,\" Hayie said.<\/p>\n
He also called on the KPU to compensate the Banten villagers.<\/p>\n
Indonesia will hold a direct presidential election on July 5.
\nSo far, the KPU has not announced any plans to change the type of
\nindelible ink that it uses.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/election-ink-causes-health-problems-study-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}