Athletes perform poorly in registration and voting

Athletes perform poorly in registration and voting

JAKARTA (JP): National athletes may triumph on the domestic
and international stages, but in the June 7 general election they
came out losers.

A number of national athletes failed to register to vote
because they were concentrating on their training for the 20th
Southeast Asian Games in Brunei this August.

Some of the athletes told The Jakarta Post and Kompas they
were not even aware of the April 5 to May 15 voter registration
period.

"I didn't even know when the registration started and ended.
Some of my teammates from outside of Jakarta also failed to vote
because they had not registered in their hometowns," Umar
Syarief, a Surabaya-born karateka who competes in the men's 80
kilograms division, said.

Umar said he would have voted for Golkar if he had registered
for the elections. "Golkar contributed to the success of national
sports development during its heyday."

He also hoped that whichever party won the elections, they
would focus more attention on developing sports in the country.

Beach volleyball player I Made Sumaryatna from West Nusa
Tenggara, who is being groomed for the World Championships in
Zagreb, Croatia, blamed his failure to vote in the elections on
the National Sports Council (KONI).

"I did not register because in previous elections KONI
organized our registration and built polling stations for us," he
said.

Basketball player I Gde Agus Wahyudi said he was so focused on
his training he forgot to register for the polls.

However, Agus went to the polling station at Moestopo
University and showed officials his identity card, hoping this
would earn him the right to vote. Poll officials, however,
refused to bend the regulations for the athlete and would not
allow him to vote.

"I was really disappointed because I heard Rudini's (chairman
of the General Elections Commission) speech this morning saying
that those who haven't registered could vote by showing their
identity cards. I tried to do this, but they would not allow me,"
he said.

In the Monday morning speech, Rudini actually said that by
showing their voter registration cards, voters could cast their
ballots at any polling station, not just the one they had
registered at.

A supporter of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI Perjuangan), Agus said: "Imagine, my vote would be very
valuable if PDI Perjuangan needed only one more vote to beat
other parties."

Top soccer player Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto said he skipped the
elections because he did not have a chance to register in his
hometown of Magelang, Central Java. Kurniawan has been nominated
for a seat in the provincial legislative council by the
Republican Party.

"I didn't register because I couldn't go home. I visited
Magelang on May 27 when I took part in the campaign," he said.

However, not all athletes regretted not voting in the
elections.

Women's long jumper Nyoman Rai Trisandiana said she, sprinter
Irine Truitje Joseph and pole vaulter Dessy Margawati agreed not
to take part in the elections.

"There are too many parties now. We are confused. I used to
vote number two (Golkar Party) but now I don't want to," she
said. (ivy)