Convict unable to find pineapple

JAKARTA: Before entering the polling booth a prisoner at Kerobokan prison, Badung, Bali, seemed confident while continuing to whisper to himself. Other inmates, however, smiled when the middle-aged man remained in the booth for more than 10 minutes while he continued to search for his favorite political party.

"I could not find the pineapple," the convicted thief said in desperation after leaving the booth, to the laughter of his friends.

Before the election the prison invited the local General Elections Commission (KPUD) to teach the prisoners how to vote. The commission, however, could not use the symbols of the 24 parties during its explanation to the prisoners, so it replaced the symbols with images of fruit.

The thief's favored party was represented by a pineapple.

"The KPUD people said my party used a pineapple. But I couldn't find it on the ballot papers," he complained. -- JP