Police in Mimika warn of conflict over election

Nethy Dharma Somba ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jayapura   |  Sat, 05/17/2008 11:16 AM  |  The Archipelago

Police in Papua's Mimika regency say 3,000 people will probably be allowed to vote in the upcoming election for regent despite not being registered, although this could create conflict.

"Many people hesitated to register during the registration period, but now they are applying for identity cards to obtain voting cards nearer polling day," Mimika Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Godhelp Mansnembra told The Jakarta Post in Timika on Friday.

The unregistered voters, he said, could cause conflict and disrupt public order if they insisted on using their voting rights, since they have no voter cards.

He said the regency was prone to tribal conflicts and this problem could trigger violence during the election.

In anticipation of possible public unrest, Mansnembra said, he would deploy riot personnel at polling stations to keep things under control.

Most unregistered voters are found in Mimika Baru, Kwamki Lama, Kwamki Baru and Koprakopa subdistricts in Timika city.

The unregistered voters who come from outside the regency and other provinces like East Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi and North Sumatra, have become a source of major differences between candidates for the post of regent.

The incumbent sees the migrants, mostly illegal miners from outside the regency, as trouble-makers and thinks they should not be registered at the local General Elections Commission (KPUD). However, his rivals have defended migrants' rights to vote in the election since they have been residents for a long time.

KPUD chairwoman Ana Balla confirmed her office had not yet received official data on eligible voters and that her staff said there were problems registering voters in some areas.

"The problem is, residents in the villages are reluctant to be registered without specific reasons, and some of them were not at home during the registration period," said Ana.

She added the population of the regency had apparently decreased from 158,000 in 2005 to 125,000 in 2007.

"Based on these figures, it's clear that several thousand residents were not covered in the 2007 registration. So, only those who have identity cards can now have voting cards," said Ana.

The number of eligible voters in Mimika totals 120,090. They will cast their votes at 236 polling stations across the regency in the upcoming election on June 19.

"I totally regret the trouble and apologize to those who did not receive their voter cards and are unable to vote because that's the regulation. The KPUD is aware that there are many people who wish to cast their votes but are deprived of their rights to vote due to not having voter cards," she said.

The four pairs contending the election are Klemen Tinal and his running mate Abdul Muis, Yoseph Yopie Kilangin and his running mate Yohanes Helyanan, Yan Antoni Yoteni and his running mate Rev. Paulus Pakage, and Hans Magal and his running mate Sutoyo.

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