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.