Thousands of Indonesians unable to vote

Thousands of Indonesians unable to vote

JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of Indonesians who live in Serawak,
Malaysia, were upset about wasting their right to vote in
Monday's polls because they could not leave school or work, a
poll observer said.

Rousdy Said, chief of the University Network for Free and Fair
Election in West Kalimantan, reported from the Serawak capital of
Kuching that the Indonesian Consulate in the Malaysian state
could do nothing to help Indonesian citizens exercise their
rights.

"This is regrettable. Many companies here have ignored the
Indonesian Consulate's call for them to let their Indonesian
workers take leave to go to the polls," Rousdy told Antara.

Only 100 out of 250 companies were willing to give their
Indonesian workers a chance to go to the polls, according to
Rousdy.

Polling stations were built only in major towns, which are
hundreds of kilometers away from the residence of Indonesian
migrant workers in Serawak.

Rousdy said that of 60,000 Indonesians living in Serawak,
nearly 40,000 were eligible to vote, and 4,500 of them stayed in
Kuching.

Rousdy said Indonesian students also faced problems in
exercising their right to vote because they were required to ask
for a permit from the Malaysian education ministry to cast their
ballot.

From Kuala Lumpur, Antara reported that Indonesian Ambassador
Mohammad Yacob Dasto cast his vote in a polling station built at
his official residence. The foreign election committee in the
Malaysian capital set up two more polling stations at the
Indonesian school and the Indonesian Embassy.

Hundreds of Indonesians, mostly of Chinese descent, were seen
queuing at the three polling stations across Kuala Lumpur. An
election committee member said the people, who commonly came from
Ujungpandang and Jakarta, were in Malaysia for holiday or school
commitments.

There were 30 polling stations in Kuala Lumpur which served
some 20,000 registered voters living in Selangor, Perak,
Trengganu and Kelantan states, aside from the capital of
Malaysia.

The committee had extended the registration period to election
day due to a lack of initiative to sign up for the polls. The
balloting was opened until 10 a.m. local time.

Apart from the polling committee in Kuala Lumpur, the National
Elections Committee has established three polling centers in
Johor Baharu, Pinang and Sabah to organize the elections in
Malaysia.

An estimated 800,000 Indonesians staying in Malaysia are of
voting age, but many of them were unable to go to the polls
because they were not allowed to skip work or lived far away from
the nearest polling station.

On home soil, Monday was a holiday.

The polls ran untroubled in other countries. In Melbourne,
Indonesian citizens went to a polling station at the Indonesian
Consulate General. Consul General Ernest Rumayar said the polling
station would be open until 8 p.m. local time. The vote count is
expected to be completed on Tuesday at 3.30 a.m.

More than 5,100 Indonesians were eligible to vote in the
Victoria state capital.

Some voters questioned irregularities in the ballot papers.
They said they found small holes in the papers or blurred party
symbols.

Other than Melbourne, Indonesian citizens in Australia went to
the polls in Canberra, Sydney, Perth and Darwin.

Indonesian Ambassador Wiryono Sastrohandoyo marked the opening
by casting his vote in Canberra at 9 a.m. local time.

Chief of the election committee in the Australian capital,
Supomo, said Indonesian citizens living far away from polling
stations were allowed to cast ballots by mail.

From Tokyo, Antara reported that around 6,000 Indonesians went
to the polls in the capital or Osaka or mailed their ballots.
(50/amd)