Center for Electoral Reform holds vote simulation in Papua

Center for Electoral Reform holds vote simulation in Papua

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Papua

The Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro) held a simulation ballot
on Thursday in Skanto district, Keerom regency, some 60
kilometers east of Jayapura.

The simulation, the first of its kind in Papua, drew
overwhelming attention from local residents.

Hundreds of Skanto residents gathered at the Jaifury soccer
field beginning at 8 a.m, two hours before the simulation was
scheduled to begin.

Ten ballot boxes were set up in the soccer field by Cetro and
its local counterpart, the Keerom General Elections Commission
(KPU).

The simulation ballot began with the chairman of each ballot
box (TPS) taking an oath, followed by random checks of the ballot
papers.

When the balloting was declared open, the impatient residents
began to jostle each other as they tried to get to the front of
the line.

"Get in line," shouted a man to a young woman who was trying
to push ahead of him.

"Sorry. I left my son at home so I have to be fast," she
replied.

The Skanto district consists of five villages and 2,700
residents, 1,600 of whom are eligible voters.

In the simulation, each eligible voter was given five ballot
papers to vote for president, vice president, and members of the
Regional Representative Council, the House of Representatives and
the provincial and regency councils.

"They should attach photographs of the legislators to the
ballot papers because many residents are illiterate," local
resident Yosef Turot said.

Smita Notosusanto, Cetro's executive director, said some 50.36
percent of the 500 ballots cast during the simulation contained
errors.

As the 2004 poll draws near, the high rate of error should
serve as a lesson for the KPU to educate the people about the
voting procedure, she said.

Papua is the 11th province where Cetro has held simulation
ballots.