Disgruntled guards seize ballot boxes in Jayapura

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post/Jayapura

About 120 polling station guards in Jayapura, Papua, have seized three ballot boxes to protest what they claim is the authorities' failure to pay them for their work in Monday's presidential election.

The protesters also set fire to their official hats during a demonstration at the office of South Jayapura district head Evert Meraudje on Wednesday.

Meraudje and Jayapura General Elections Commission chairman La Pona later sat down with the guards to discuss their grievances.

The guards claim they were not paid the Rp 40,000 (US$4.40) they were promised for providing security during the election.

Pona said the money to pay the security guards had been delivered to polling station committees in the district, and did not know why the guards had not received their pay.

He said his office would pay the 120 security guards immediately, and would also launch an investigation into why the disbursed funds were not received by the guards.

"We will soon disburse Rp 4.8 million to pay the fees of the guards, and will look into why the previously disbursed money was not received by them. If there are any irregularities, we will process them according to the law," Pona said.

The protesters promised to return the three seized ballot boxes after receiving assurances from the local General Elections Commission chief that they would receive their pay.