Maluku refugees keen to vote, tempers soar as hopes dashed

By Jupriadi

BUTON, Southeast Sulawesi (JP): Thousands of Maluku refugees at various shelters here put on their best clothes and, with their children in tow, arrived at least an hour early in excitement for Monday's polls.

Usman, who has sheltered on the campus of the Buton School of Economics since he and his family fled sectarian clashes in the Maluku capital of Ambon, was among those who came early to the polling station, set up near a refugee center on Jl. Wa Ode Wou, Tanganapa, Betoambari district.

"Oh, we know voting will start (at 8 a.m.) and that's why we hurried here," he said.

At Usman's polling station, 150 of the 471 registered voters were refugees. Still, a number of refugees failed to vote because they did not know the location of the station despite its close proximity to the center.

Ina, from Waenuru, Salahutu district in Ambon, was among the refugees who missed their chance. "No one told us where it would be located when we registered," she said.

About 52,000 refugees remain sheltered in Buton regency. Voting started on time in 19 districts housing refugees in Binongko, Tomia, Kaledupa, Wangi-wangi, Lasalimu, Pasarwajo, Sampolawa, Batauga, Betoambari, Wolio, Sorawalio, Bungi, Kapontroi, Lakudo, Mawasangka, Kabaena Timur, Rumbia and Kabaena.

Chief of the Buton election supervisory council Saenal Arifin said that as of 2:30 p.m. local time, most refugees had gone to the polls. Secretary of the Buton election commission D.J. Gultom said no special treatment was accorded the refugees and voting proceeded normally.

"They voted just like any other voters," he said.

Buton Police chief Lt. Col. Kurnia Suratno was thankful that voting was conducted in an orderly and peaceful manner and everybody received the same opportunity to express their political aspirations.

Slightly farther from the refugee centers, about 2,000 passengers of the KM Lambelu ship were disappointed because the polling station at Murhum port in Bau-bau -- where they made a three-hour stopover en route from Ambon to Ujungpandang in South Sulawesi -- refused to accommodate them.

Heated arguments followed, with some of the passengers, who were hot and tired from the sun, almost becoming involved in a brawl with election officials.

The passengers were registered to vote at Wale Port, Wolio district in Buton. Wale's polling station, however, only had 2,500 ballots for elections of the regency assemblies (DPRD II). Some of ballots were no longer sealed, rendering them invalid.

Irate passengers accused the election officials of trying to dupe them. "This can't happen! How can we vote if the ballots are only for regency assemblies?" one passenger shouted.

"Don't think we don't know the election rules!" said Salim Muhammad, a passenger from Ambon who was on his way to Surabaya.

Hundreds of the passengers set off to try to find other polling stations, but were again disappointed because most were already closed or were out of ballots.

The ship approached the port at 12:30 p.m., with polling stations supposed to stay open until 2 p.m.

Following heated arguments, Salim Muhammad, who represented the passengers, the ship captain Harahap and D.J. Gultom agreed the passengers would not be able to vote.

"What's wrong with this government? We were told to vote, and now we're not helped to vote," said Wardah, a 39-year-old woman passenger from Ambon.

Harahap was outraged. "I increased my ship's speed from Ternate because we could not vote there. Now 2,000 votes have been wasted."

A local election official put the blame on the General Elections Commission (KPU). "What could we do? The commission failed to send us the ballot sheets," he said.