Gov election to be public holiday

JAKARTA. The East Java provincial administration has decreed Thursday a public holiday to allow some 30.03 million voters to cast their ballots for the gubernatorial election.

Thursday will also see residents in Kediri, Madiun, Mojokerto and Probolinggo electing their mayors.

The authorities are deploying 26,531 police personnel to safeguard 71,036 polling stations across the province backed up by 7,200 soldiers.

With the tight schedule leading to the election, some civic groups claimed they had yet to receive clear information from the East Java General Elections Commission (KPUD) on the election technicalities.

Gandi Wicaksono from Mata Hati Surabaya, a group which works to empower the visually impaired felt his members were being ignored.

“Perhaps the candidates do not consider the blind as a significant pool of voters because they do not know the exact number of blind people in East Java, Gandi told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Tutus Setiawan from the East Java Blind Empowerment Institute said dissemination of election information was important as it related to the secrecy of the ballot and the independence of voters.

Meanwhile, Surabaya KPUD chief, Eko Sasmito, said Braille templates for the blind had been provided while information dissemination was the responsibility of the provincial election commission.

Another marginalized group are Shia refugees. Fathul Khoir from the East Java Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) said the gubernatorial race reflected a dismal picture of religious freedom in the province.

“The candidates do not have the guts to take a stance on the issue although it has become a national and international issue,” he said. “They are more afraid of losing votes from the Madurese community.”

Fathul said there was only one candidate who spoke out on the issue albeit implicitly.

The Shia refugees from Sampang regency on Madura Island only received their voting documentation on Wednesday morning.

Refugee coordinator, Iklil Al Milal, said they would cast their ballots because it was an important duty despite feeling abandoned by the gubernatorial candidates.

“Although whoever wins will be a disappointment, I will still vote,” Iklil said. (The Jakarta Post)