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