Voter registration begins

Voter registration begins

JAKARTA (JP): The General Elections Commission (KPU) appealed
to the nation on Sunday to register for the June 7 general
election, touted as the country's first democratic poll in over
three decades.

"I call on all citizens to sincerely and enthusiastically
spare the time to register with the appointed officers," KPU
chairman Rudini said in a televised speech.

Rudini said people's participation in the election would serve
as evidence that Indonesians were politically mature.

Registration, which is voluntary, begins on Monday and will
continue through May 4. An estimated 130 million people are
eligible to vote, 5 percent of whom are first timer voters. In
1997, when registration was compulsory, there were some 124
million voters.

The poll is restricted to citizens at least 17 years of age
and those who are younger than 17 but are married. To register,
people must produce some form of identification, including
identification cards (KTPs), driver's licenses, marriage
certificates and school diplomas.

This will spare people from having to return to their home
villages to register as in the past.

Local committees, comprising representatives of the 48
political parties contesting the general election and the
government, have been set up in every village and subdistrict to
facilitate the registration process.

The local committees also will help mobilize people to
register, Rudini said.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the National Elections Committee,
Jacob Tobing, was quoted by Antara as warning people against
registering more than once, a criminal offense punishable by one
year imprisonment. Anyone who votes more than once in the June
election will face up to six years in prison, he added. (emb/amd)