Sutiyoso helps enlist voters

Sutiyoso helps enlist voters

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta

Governor Sutiyoso has ordered chiefs of neighborhood units (RT)
and community units (RW) to actively take part in the
registration of eligible voters for the upcoming presidential
election on July 5.

Sutiyoso said at City Hall on Tuesday that he gave the order
after receiving reports from the General Elections Commission
(KPU) that at least 1.4 million Jakartans failed to cast their
votes in the April 5 legislative election as they were not
registered as eligible voters. The registration was carried out
by the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS).

Of the capital's approximately 8.3 million residents, 6.4
million are eligible to vote in a general election. However,
those who remain unregistered and those who will be 17 years old
by July 5 are encouraged to register themselves via RT and RW
chiefs.

"The greater the number of residents that cast their votes,
the more valid the elections should be," Sutiyoso said, adding
that the administration would help the Jakarta KPU in the
registration process.

Earlier on Monday, councillor Maringan Pangaribuan of the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) blamed his
party's defeat in the legislative election in Jakarta partly on
speculation that most residents who did not cast a vote would
have voted for the PDI-P.

Therefore, he requested Sutiyoso to assist in the registration
process for the upcoming presidential election. He was speaking
after his party's faction at the City Council accepted the
governor's accountability speech.

The PDI-P, which previously dominated the council with 30
seats, won 11 seats and 610,653 votes, below the Prosperous
Justice Party (PKS) with 18 seats and the Democratic Party with
16 seats.

PDI-P executives have repeatedly blamed Sutiyoso's unpopular
policies, particularly forcible eviction, as contributing to the
party's sharp decline in the election.

Sutiyoso denied that his order was made under pressure from
the PDI-P.

"Unregistered voters would not necessarily have cast their
votes for the PDI-P. It's a matter of political choice," he said.