Students deployed to monitor election<\/p>\n
Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Rectors Forum will deploy thousands of university
\nstudents across the country as volunteers to monitor the
\nlegislative election on Monday to help ensure the poll is free
\nand fair.<\/p>\n
The deployment, the second after the last election in 1999, is
\nconducted in collaboration with the United Nations Development
\nProgram (UNDP).<\/p>\n
On voting day, the volunteers will visit selected polling
\nstations across the country. Each station will be monitored by
\ntwo students and outside officials assigned by the Regional
\nGeneral Elections Commission (KPUD).<\/p>\n
They students will be equipped with special licenses to allow
\nthem to cast votes in their assigned voting booths.<\/p>\n
The Rector of Trisakti University in Jakarta, Thoby Mutis,
\nsaid on Saturday the students would monitor the election by
\ntaking notes and filling in monitor forms, but would not
\ninterfere with the duty of KPUD personnel.<\/p>\n
"They will also help count the votes through a parallel vote
\ntabulation system. But this will only be conducted in selected
\npoll stations as a general survey of certain areas," he said
\nafter giving instructions to some 1,700 volunteers from his
\nuniversity.<\/p>\n
Trisakti University has been appointed by the Rectors Forum as
\ncoordinator for Jakarta area.<\/p>\n
Ater voting day, each voting area will make a report to be
\nsubmitted to a forum in Bandung, West Java. The forum plans to
\nannounce its report on the implementation of Monday's election on
\nApril 10 before submitting it to the General Elections Commission
\n(KPU) to be used as a reference.<\/p>\n
On Monday, about 147 million eligible voters are expected to
\ncast their votes to elect members of the House of Representatives
\n(DPR), the Regional Representative Council (DPD), and the
\nprovincial and regental legislatures.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, as many as 20 universities will participate in the
\nscheme, dispatching about 7,700 students and field coordinators
\nto 3,362 out of 24,017 poll stations.<\/p>\n
The work was an ideal way for students to do something for
\ntheir country, Thoby told the Trisakti volunteers. "We've got
\nnothing but our good intentions and nothing can stop us," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Thoby said the students from his university had been prepared
\nwith 40 hours of training on how to diffuse violence and lessons
\non democracy and human rights; as well as sessions on monitoring
\nskills.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/students-deployed-to-monitor-election-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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