Papua 'walk the walk' before voting<\/p>\n
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post\/Jayapura<\/p>\n
Walking one or two days to vote is not usual for the people of
\nPapua, Indonesia's easternmost province.<\/p>\n
In Jayawijaya regency, for example, one of the most remote and
\nmountainous regencies in the province, people have to walk for at
\nleast one day to reach the district capital to vote. Many of the
\nregistered voters make the event a family affair, bringing along
\ntheir children, grandchildren, pets and pigs to the polling
\nstation.<\/p>\n
During the New Order era, residents only had to make the
\njourney once every five years. This year, however, was a very
\nbusy voting season. There was the April 5 legislative election,
\nthe first round of the presidential election on July 5 and the
\nsecond round and September 20.<\/p>\n
Despite the difficulties, residents are eager to travel to
\npolling stations so they can participate in the country's
\ndemocracy, while at the same time catching up with relatives from
\ndistant hamlets.<\/p>\n
Residents bring along musical instruments, food and drink to
\nthe polling stations, and after they vote the real party begins.<\/p>\n
Officials support this tradition because they know it helps
\nimprove voter turnout.<\/p>\n
Hasjim Sangadji, the secretary of the Papua General Elections
\nCommission (KPU), said the commission provided meals to residents
\nto entice them to come out and vote.<\/p>\n
\"If we do not provide them with meals, they are not interested
\nin voting,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The chairman of the Jayawijaya KPU, Agustinus Rorong, agreed
\nthat the commission took advantage of local traditions to attract
\nlocal voters to the polls.<\/p>\n
\"We use the traditions to attract them to participate in the
\nelection,\" said Rorong.<\/p>\n
Hasjim Sangadji said Papua had very unique geographical
\nfeatures compared to other provinces in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Its mountainous areas prevent people from traveling by car or
\nmotorcycle, meaning they have to go by foot or airplane to reach
\ntheir destinations.<\/p>\n
The sparse population poses another problem for the KPU. One
\nsubdistrict can be home to just 10 families, and these 10
\nfamilies might include just five registered voters.<\/p>\n
The lack of registered voters forces the KPU to pool several
\npolling stations from the same district into one polling station,
\nfor the sake of efficiency.<\/p>\n
Due to its difficult terrain, Sangadji said Papua received
\nspecial funds from the central government for organizing the
\nelection in the province.<\/p>\n
Some of this money went for transporting election materials to
\nthe more remote areas and purchasing meals provided for
\nresidents at the polling stations, Sangadji said.<\/p>\n
However, he said not all polling stations put on a feed for
\nresidents. This special treatment is reserved for polling
\nstations in the remoter areas. In Jayawijaya regency, these
\nremote hamlets include the Kenyam, Mapenduma, Tiom, Gamelia,
\nApahapsili, Abenaho and Kobakma hamlets.<\/p>\n
This generous treatment and the traditional customs help
\naccount for the high turnout in the elections in Papua.<\/p>\n
In the legislative election, 155,476 out of some 160,000
\nregistered voters in Jayawijaya regency voted. In the first round
\nof the presidential election, the number of votes cast fell to
\n152,675, but rose again to 152,675 in the second round of the
\npresidential election.<\/p>\n
In total, above 90 percent of the total number of registered
\nvoters in the province voted in the three elections.<\/p>",
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