11.92% Jakartans did not vote: Election Committee

JAKARTA (JP): The City Election Committee estimated that 11.92 percent, or 676,640 Jakartans, did not vote in the May 29 general election, the committee's secretary said yesterday.

The committee had earlier announced that 5,671,802 people were eligible to vote in the city. A total 7,453,162 voters were eligible to vote in the election, including those living abroad.

The committee's secretary, Bagus Suharyono, said the percentage was estimated after completing ballot counting in the city's five mayoralties.

"Of registered voters, only 4,995,162 (not including Jakartans living overseas) voted for Jakarta City Council members in this year's general election," Bagus told The Jakarta Post yesterday.

He said among those who did not vote were those who were ill or those who were out of town.

Earlier, staff at various hospitals and prisons had said those who did not vote were from families who did not arrange for the nonvoters' registration.

"There were also invalid votes," Bagus said, "besides those who intentionally chose not to vote."

Political researcher Mahrus Irsyam said yesterday that the 11.92 percentage figure of nonvoters "was considerably large".

He said yesterday that the figure included "many first-time voters".

"They have grown up under the New Order government and want change," he said.

Invalidated votes, he told the Post, might also be expected from overseas voters.

"Students abroad and children of diplomats have more access to information," the lecturer from the University of Indonesia said.

"They can't all be controlled," he said.

Among Jakarta voters, he said, young professionals probably voted similarly with the older generation. While "established" parents voted for Golkar, he said, young professionals were also in a position where their businesses depend on the government.

The committee was waiting for complete ballot counting results of the 1,781,614 registered voters from abroad.

From overseas voters, the committee had received 602,183 City Council votes and 612,538 House of Representatives votes.

Combined with city voters, 5,597,345 votes were for the City Council and 5,696,152 were for the House of Representatives as of 2:20 p.m. yesterday.

Provisional results showed that Golkar won 59.83 percent, or 3,348,826 City Council votes, the United Development Party (PPP) got 38.2 percent, or 2,138,639 votes, and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) got 1.96 percent, or 109,880 votes.

For the House of Representatives, Golkar won 60.5 percent, or 3,447,374 votes, PPP got 37.55 percent, or 2,138,639 votes, and PDI got 1.92 percent, or 109,554 votes.

Final results of votes from abroad were scheduled to be completed by June 14.

Bagus said the committee could not gather ballots from voters in 108 countries any faster because not all of them voted at polling stations.

"Some mailed their votes (to polling stations)," Bagus said.

The election contestants are vying for 60 of 75 City Council seats. The remaining 15 seats are reserved for Armed Forces (ABRI) members who do not vote.

Golkar now has 31 council seats, PPP 15, PDI 14 and ABRI 15.

In the 1992 election, 5,104,473 people voted out of 7.6 million Jakartans. In the 1992 election, Golkar won 53.09 percent, or 2,445,047 City Council votes, while PPP got 24.65 percent, or 1,135,342 votes, and PDI got 22.26 percent, or 1,025,482 votes. (ste/anr)