People with disabilities have largely expressed reluctance to exercise their right to vote as the General Elections Commission (KPU) has failed to provide access to polling stations, an activist said.

Chairman of the General Elections Committee for Access to People with Disabilities (PPUA Penca) Ariani Abdul Mun'im said on Thursday that she had asked the KPU on a number of occasions to heed the group's demands, but to no avail.

"We have talked with Pak Ramlan Surbakti, and Bu Chusnul Mar'iyah about the matter and they seemed to respond well during our conversations, but why aren't they taking any concrete steps to fulfill our request?" said Ariani.

The PPUA has asked for voting booths, which are convenient for people in wheelchairs and ballot papers with braille.

Ariani said there was a discrepancy in the Law No. 12/2003 on election and KPU Decree No. 1/2004 on election rulings regarding the number of helpers in case a disabled person is unable to cast his or her ballot.

The law states that disabled people could bring a helper to vote with them, while the decree says the KPU would provide two officers from the Polling Station Committee (KPPS) to help them.

Article 88 of the Law No. 12/2003 stipulates that voting booths must be easily accessible to disabled voters. The law also guarantees that each voter can vote directly, freely and confidentially.

Ariani said although the KPU decree rules out the possibility of providing braille ballots, the elections commission should provide them so all people can vote by themselves if they so desire.

Some six to eight million out of 12 million disabled persons in Indonesia --including the blind, deaf, and the handicapped-- are eligible to vote in the 2004 elections.

Deputy chairman of PPUA Penca, Heppy Sebayang, said the KPU has failed to initiate the necessary changes, so many disabled people just would not vote.

"Many people will be cheated (of their right to vote secretly) and many ballot papers will be considered invalid because the disabled won't be able to cast their ballots accurately," said Heppy.

The government has called on the KPU to provide adequate facilities for disabled voters so that they can exercise their rights in the elections.