Unregistered evictees still hope to vote<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
After losing their homes to eviction, people currently sheltering
\nin the compound of the National Commission on Human Rights
\n(Komnas HAM) said they may have lost their right to vote in the
\nelections.<\/p>\n
They claim they had registered as voters before the evictions
\ntook place between August and November last year, but no
\nofficials from their respective subdistricts had contacted them.<\/p>\n
"We do not know whether we still have the right to vote after
\nour houses were demolished, but we still want to vote," Edi, 42,
\nformerly a resident of Cengkareng Timur subdistrict, West
\nJakarta, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
According to procedure, voters should have received their
\nvoter registration cards by March 5 at the latest. The general
\nelection takes place on April 5.<\/p>\n
The other 24 families taking refuge at the Komnas HAM office
\nshared similar experiences.<\/p>\n
Sugianto, 50, formerly a resident of Tanjung Duren Selatan,
\nWest Jakarta, said he and his family had wanted to register for
\nthe elections, but no election officials had visited his home.<\/p>\n
"I even wrote to the subdistrict administration, asking to
\nregister as a voter. I want to vote in the elections, but it
\nseems the officials neglected me. So, don't blame us if we don't
\nexercise our right to vote," he remarked.<\/p>\n
Samuel, 30, also from Tanjung Duren Selatan, said he would go
\nto the polling station nevertheless. "As a good citizen, I will
\nnot ignore my duty to vote even though I no longer have a
\npermanent residence."<\/p>\n
On the other hand, Toni, 45, from Cengkareng Timur, said he
\ndid not care whether he still had the right to vote. "I do not
\nsee that the election will change my fate because politicians
\nalways make empty promises," he added.<\/p>\n
Many evictees agreed with Toni that participating in the
\nelections would do them no good.<\/p>\n
"When we just arrived here last year, Pak Amien (Rais of the
\nNational Mandate Party, PAN) and several Indonesian Democratic
\nParty of Struggle (PDI-P) executives visited us here, but we're
\nstill here," said Edi.<\/p>\n
Despite their desire to vote, only a few of the evictees
\nintend to go to the polling station in their former
\nneighborhoods.<\/p>\n
"If we have extra money, we'd prefer to buy meals for our
\nchildren rather than pay the bus fares," said Edi, a father of
\ntwo.<\/p>",
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