Election fever takes a hold in remote Wamena, Irian Jaya

Text and photos by PJ Leo

WAMENA, Irian Jaya (JP): Even though there were some troubles here and there, in general, the June 7 elections ran well. People throughout the country, with the exception of Aceh, showed great enthusiasm in casting ballots. Those who used to be non-voters now decided to join the elections.

Election fever hit not only people in big cities, but also in villages, including those in Wamena, Irian Jaya, although they might not have clearly understood the meaning of elections.

From early in the morning, the villagers flocked makeshift polling places. Some men wore koteka (penis sheath), while some women were bare-chested. Some had to climb a mountain to get to the polling places, which were located quite far. Unlike those in urban areas, the polling booths here were made of small bamboo poles and tree branches without any curtains.

There was a friendly atmosphere in the polling places. Most sat on the ground waiting for a turn to vote, while some sat on a long bench in front of the polling booth. They looked confused, but were excited when the elections committee members called their name. Some, however, remained seated after their name was called. A village committee member or a witness from the political party had to lead them to the booth and explain how to vote. There were also others who spent quite a long time in the booth. With trembling hands, each put a ballot in the box, and then chatted with others in local dialects.

They must have been confused with the huge number of political parties taking part in the elections. Out of 48 participating political parties, only 16 opened office in Wamena. And which party to choose, they did not really know. What was clear was they had a great interest in taking part in the elections.

As voting was scheduled to end at 2 p.m., some villages managed to finish counting the votes before it was dark, but in some others, people were still casting votes even after the sun went down. And they did not return home shortly either as they followed the counting of the votes. Once in a while, they shouted and even danced, as if it was a real party.