Irianese endure hardship to cast their votes<\/p>\n
Text by Lela E. Madjiah and photos by Mulkan Salmona<\/p>\n
They cover long distances, many carrying toddlers and babies,
\ntramping through dense, tropical jungles and across vast swamps,
\nall to cast their ballots. For people in Irian Jaya, particularly
\nthose living in remote villages, taking part in the general
\nelection means sacrifice. They do it anyway, all in the simple
\nhope that those in power will not forget them.<\/p>\n
YETTI, Jayapura (JP): It was an unusually bright and dry
\nmorning on Wednesday, May 28. There had been a welcome respite
\nfrom rain in the past three days. This day, the last batch of
\nYetti people left their homes for the village of Wembi in Arso
\ndistrict, Jayapura regency, the place they would cast their votes
\nin the general election.<\/p>\n
Families walked all the way to Wambers village where a truck
\nwaited to transport them to Wembi. It took them a little over
\nthree hours to reach Wambers as they traipsed through the thick
\ntropical forest of Irian Jaya. Fathers bore toddlers on their
\nshoulders, mothers carried babies in their arms, while on their
\nbacks were slung noken, the traditional bags, containing clothes
\nand food. The walk was made easier because the path was almost
\ndry. The sago swamps were not as deep as they usually are, the
\nmud reaching only ankle level, instead of the usual knee height.<\/p>\n
It was not easy for the people of Yetti to leave home for the
\nelection. The villagers live in a hamlet close to the border with
\nPapua New Guinea, where members of Organisasi Papua Merdeka (Free
\nPapua Movement -- OPM) are still very active. There were fears
\nthat OPM rebels would steal their crops or animals, or burn their
\nhouses while they were away.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, the hamlet, with a population of only 95, is
\nlocated close to a security post manned by members of Infantry
\nBattalion 731\/Kabaresi. The troops assured the villagers they
\nwould guard their houses and take care of their animals during
\ntheir absence.<\/p>\n
The troops also provided them with food to ensure that those
\nleft behind would not have to worry about starving. Like most
\nIrianese, the Yetti people still lead a very simple life. Stock-
\npiling is not in their vocabulary. They look for enough food for
\na day's ration and go hunting only when there is a need.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday at 7:45 a.m., a full 45 minutes later than
\nplanned, about 40 Yetti, including babies and kids, left their
\nhamlet for Wembi. Only 22 of the hamlet's residents are eligible
\nto vote. They were accompanied by a group of 10 troops of
\nInfantry Battalion 731\/Kabaresi, who were responsible for their
\nsecurity during the trip.<\/p>\n
Yetti is one of the many hamlets and villages in remote areas
\nof Irian Jaya. The general election poses many problems both for
\nthe provincial administration and villagers, as most of the
\nvoters live in remote areas, many only accessible by foot. This
\nyear, 50 percent of the 3,067 ballot boxes in the province were
\nlocated in remote areas. Jayapura regency, which had 81,076
\nvoters, had 256 ballot boxes scattered across the area. As it is
\nimpossible to provide a ballot box for every hamlet, the election
\ncommittee usually provides one box for several hamlets grouped
\nunder one village management. Hamlet residents then have to make
\ntheir way to the designated village to vote.<\/p>\n
By comparison, the Yetti are lucky. Many other tribespeople
\nhave to walk further, sometimes in journeys up to a week, to
\nreach their ballot boxes.<\/p>\n
In the 1992 general election, Ures villagers in Lereh
\ndistrict, Jayapura regency, started collecting food for election
\nday a month ahead.<\/p>\n
\"They cut down a sago tree and carried it with them along the
\nway to the ballot box. On the way, they hunted for additional
\nfood, rested, hunted again,\" said Capt. Gatot S., operations head
\nof Infantry Battalion 731\/Kabaresi.<\/p>\n
Why are villagers willing to sacrifice their time and energy
\nfor something many of them do not even understand? Like most
\nisolated tribes of Irian Jaya, the Yetti are illiterate. Many,
\nthe elderly in particular, do not speak Indonesian.<\/p>\n
The answer is simple. \"By voting, we hope the government will
\npay more attention to our welfare,\" said Andreas Jumbori, chief
\nof Yetti hamlet.<\/p>\n
He said this year was the second time he and his people took
\npart in the general election.<\/p>\n
\"We were quite disappointed in the first election (we took
\npart in) in 1992, because nothing has changed since then,\" said
\nAndreas, 35, the hamlet chief since 1990.<\/p>\n
Like most villages in remote areas in the province, the Yetti
\ncommunity is not asking for the impossible. They only want a road
\nto connect their hamlet to the city so that they can sell their
\nfarm produce there. They also want a polyclinic and a school. No
\nYetti kids go to school, and none of the children can read or
\nwrite.<\/p>\n
The Yetti people, who settled in the hamlet in 1989 after
\nliving in Papua New Guinea as members of the OPM separatist
\nmovement, have repeatedly sent requests to the regent asking for
\nthe road, polyclinic and school, Andreas said.<\/p>\n
\"So far no answer has come,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Worse, no officials of the Jayapura regency or the Arso
\ndistrict have visited them. Only Wembi village head Benny Mekawa,
\nwho receives Rp 30,000 a month for his job, pays them a bimonthly
\nvisit to give them guidance on matters including health and
\nfarming.<\/p>\n
With very little attention and help from the regency
\nadministration, the villagers rely on infantry troops who pay a
\nregular visit to a makeshift post near their hamlet. In fact, the
\nsoldiers perform the function of a civil administration, from
\nteaching them how to farm, how to build a house, how to keep
\nclean and providing them with medication. They also hold classes
\nwhen there is time.<\/p>\n
Members of Battalion 731 also worked hard to make this year's
\nelection a success.<\/p>\n
\"We guarded their houses during their absence, provided them
\nwith food for their trip and for those left behind because of old
\nage or illness. We also provided them with shelter and food
\nduring their stay at Wembi,\" said battalion commander Lt.Col.
\nGatot N.<\/p>\n
Gatot's reason for helping was clear-cut.<\/p>\n
\"They were willing to leave their homes and walk that far to
\ncast their votes. Somebody had to take care of them, and since no
\none else did, we made it our responsibility,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The question is whether the troops' involvement in the
\nelection process interferes with the principles of a free
\nelection?<\/p>\n
It is difficult to find out the true answer, as the villagers
\ngave mixed responses. Most of them had a uniformed answer that
\nalthough Armed Forces members helped them use their rights as
\ncitizens of this nation, they still retained their liberty to
\nchoose any of the three political parties.<\/p>\n
Some of them clearly stated that they were voting for the
\nruling Golkar party.<\/p>\n
\"Because we have seen their work, we have felt their presence
\nhere,\" said Andreas.<\/p>\n
Wembi village head Benny Mekawa shared his sentiments.<\/p>\n
\"We support the government with only one hope, that the
\ngovernment does not abandon us. That the government helps improve
\nour welfare.\"<\/p>\n
Abas Mekawa, a former OPM commander who is now acting chief of
\nAir Asin hamlet, Arso district, stated that the election was
\nimportant because it gave people like him the chance to choose
\ntheir representatives.<\/p>\n
\"By taking part in the election, we can choose people who are
\nresponsible and who will fight for our causes,\" said Abas.<\/p>\n
With that hope in mind, Abas and thousands of other villagers
\nleft their homes, walked vast distances and cast their votes on
\nMay 29. Voters flocked to the election site in their best
\nclothes. They even dressed up their children and babies for what
\nthey believed was a day of celebration.<\/p>\n
What if nothing changes after the election?<\/p>\n
\"We were disappointed last time,\" Andreas said. \"We would be
\nvery, very disappointed this time.\"<\/p>\n
It is not merely a question of asking the winner of the
\nelection to keep its promises.<\/p>\n
\"We have our reputations at stake here,\" Andreas said. \"We
\nhave encouraged our people to vote, telling them it is important
\nbecause it will change our lives. But if nothing happens like
\nlast time, they will not trust us anymore. They will lose faith
\nin us, their chiefs, and the government.\"<\/p>\n
Do the Yetti truly believe the general election can help
\nchange their fate? We may never know if they walked for hours,
\ndragging their toddlers with them, exposing their tiny babies to
\ndanger of various types, to cast their votes of their own free
\nwill. But if trust no longer exists in any relationship, and in
\nthis case between the Yetti and the government, nothing else
\ncounts.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/irianese-endure-hardship-to-cast-their-votes-1447893297",
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