Only 23% of overseas voters registered

Only 23% of overseas voters registered

JAKARTA: The government has only been able to register 23
percent of 1.9 million eligible overseas voters due to an
administrative shortcoming, a senior official acknowledged on
Wednesday.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said the number of
registered overseas voters was minimal because most were illegal
migrants or worked in informal sectors, which are beyond the
reach of Indonesian missions.

"We cannot reach those Indonesians who work in plantations in
Malaysia or as maids in other countries," Hassan said after the
inauguration ceremony of three new Indonesian envoys.

Indonesian missions abroad have thus been able to register
only 420,000 of 1.9 million potential voters.

Government data shows that around 3 million Indonesians are
working abroad, mostly in Malaysia and in Middle Eastern
countries. However, the actual number may be double this, as many
of overseas workers are illegals. -- JP