Jember's blind people neglected in direct election for regent

Slamet Susanto and ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta/Jember

A large number of disabled persons in Jember were unable to cast votes in the direct regental elections here on June 22, indicating that their right to vote had been ignored, said a leader of a disabled persons association on Wednesday.

"During the direct elections, only three blind people voted out of total over 50 eligible to vote in the regency," said Rachmad Hadi, chairman of the Indonesian Disabled Persons Association's Jember branch.

Rachmad said that he had expressed his concerns to the Jember General Elections Commission (KPUD), but his complaints had fallen on deaf ears, except at polling booth 14 in Semanggu subdistrict here, where three blind people where able to vote.

The three persons in question were Rachmad Hadi, his wife Irma Nur and neighbor Titin Wardani.

Rachmad said that the current situation was deplorable as in the 1999 legislative elections, blind people were informed and given an opportunity to vote in the elections.

"It's strange that blind people were not informed and given a chance to vote in the direct regental elections," said Rachmad, quoted by Antara news agency.

He said the situation was sad and ironic because it was easy and cheap to facilitate voting for the blind. Blind people only need carton papers that bear the names of candidates using braille letters.

Ketty S, a KPUD member, admitted that they had earlier thought that blind people would not vote. They only became aware of the situation when poll officials from poling booth 14 in Semanggu subdistrict requested facilities in order to allow blind people to vote.

"When we realized (that blind people would vote) we had already run out of time, except at polling booth 14 in Semanggu subdistrict. There were three blind people near this booth who were given the opportunity to vote," said Ketty.

Rachmad, however, said that he made the carton papers bearing the names of the candidates in braille by himself, in order to help fellow blind people to vote.

"The poll officials approved it," said Rachmad.

Separately, KPU officials in Yogyakarta have apparently been more aware of the voting rights of blind people.

KPUDs in Bantul and Sleman regencies have provided supporting facilities for the disabled, including braille templates for the blind, and special polling booths for disabled persons using wheelchairs.

In Bantul, the local KPUD has provided 17 braille templates, while in Sleman, some 400 braille templates have been provided.

The elections will be held simultaneously in the two regencies on June 26.