Unregistered evictees still hope to vote

Unregistered evictees still hope to vote

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After losing their homes to eviction, people currently sheltering
in the compound of the National Commission on Human Rights
(Komnas HAM) said they may have lost their right to vote in the
elections.

They claim they had registered as voters before the evictions
took place between August and November last year, but no
officials from their respective subdistricts had contacted them.

"We do not know whether we still have the right to vote after
our houses were demolished, but we still want to vote," Edi, 42,
formerly a resident of Cengkareng Timur subdistrict, West
Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

According to procedure, voters should have received their
voter registration cards by March 5 at the latest. The general
election takes place on April 5.

The other 24 families taking refuge at the Komnas HAM office
shared similar experiences.

Sugianto, 50, formerly a resident of Tanjung Duren Selatan,
West Jakarta, said he and his family had wanted to register for
the elections, but no election officials had visited his home.

"I even wrote to the subdistrict administration, asking to
register as a voter. I want to vote in the elections, but it
seems the officials neglected me. So, don't blame us if we don't
exercise our right to vote," he remarked.

Samuel, 30, also from Tanjung Duren Selatan, said he would go
to the polling station nevertheless. "As a good citizen, I will
not ignore my duty to vote even though I no longer have a
permanent residence."

On the other hand, Toni, 45, from Cengkareng Timur, said he
did not care whether he still had the right to vote. "I do not
see that the election will change my fate because politicians
always make empty promises," he added.

Many evictees agreed with Toni that participating in the
elections would do them no good.

"When we just arrived here last year, Pak Amien (Rais of the
National Mandate Party, PAN) and several Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI-P) executives visited us here, but we're
still here," said Edi.

Despite their desire to vote, only a few of the evictees
intend to go to the polling station in their former
neighborhoods.

"If we have extra money, we'd prefer to buy meals for our
children rather than pay the bus fares," said Edi, a father of
two.