Sutiyoso helps enlist voters<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Governor Sutiyoso has ordered chiefs of neighborhood units (RT)
\nand community units (RW) to actively take part in the
\nregistration of eligible voters for the upcoming presidential
\nelection on July 5.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso said at City Hall on Tuesday that he gave the order
\nafter receiving reports from the General Elections Commission
\n(KPU) that at least 1.4 million Jakartans failed to cast their
\nvotes in the April 5 legislative election as they were not
\nregistered as eligible voters. The registration was carried out
\nby the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS).<\/p>\n
Of the capital's approximately 8.3 million residents, 6.4
\nmillion are eligible to vote in a general election. However,
\nthose who remain unregistered and those who will be 17 years old
\nby July 5 are encouraged to register themselves via RT and RW
\nchiefs.<\/p>\n
"The greater the number of residents that cast their votes,
\nthe more valid the elections should be," Sutiyoso said, adding
\nthat the administration would help the Jakarta KPU in the
\nregistration process.<\/p>\n
Earlier on Monday, councillor Maringan Pangaribuan of the
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) blamed his
\nparty's defeat in the legislative election in Jakarta partly on
\nspeculation that most residents who did not cast a vote would
\nhave voted for the PDI-P.<\/p>\n
Therefore, he requested Sutiyoso to assist in the registration
\nprocess for the upcoming presidential election. He was speaking
\nafter his party's faction at the City Council accepted the
\ngovernor's accountability speech.<\/p>\n
The PDI-P, which previously dominated the council with 30
\nseats, won 11 seats and 610,653 votes, below the Prosperous
\nJustice Party (PKS) with 18 seats and the Democratic Party with
\n16 seats.<\/p>\n
PDI-P executives have repeatedly blamed Sutiyoso's unpopular
\npolicies, particularly forcible eviction, as contributing to the
\nparty's sharp decline in the election.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso denied that his order was made under pressure from
\nthe PDI-P.<\/p>\n
"Unregistered voters would not necessarily have cast their
\nvotes for the PDI-P. It's a matter of political choice," he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sutiyoso-helps-enlist-voters-1447893297",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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