T

he bustling commotion created by hundreds of housewives and traders engaged in their morning routine of haggling at the Sanglah traditional market came to a standstill Sunday.

A familiar voice boomed over the loudspeakers. It was the voice of Ayu Mainah, a local male comedian who specializes in playing a confused and prying housewife in his stage and television acts.

Speaking in a "mixed" language of high and low Balinese and Indonesian popular slang, he drew hordes of shoppers around him. Then in his "motherly" voice, Ayu urged traders, housewives and even passing motorists to go to the polls on voting day on April 9.

"If you're still confused about how to mark the ballot, or if you want to see the ballots, please gather here and ask these officials from the Denpasar General Elections Commission *KPUD*," he said.

Jro Mangku, a cloth and ritual paraphernalia vendor, watched the gathered throngs from her stall.

"Hey, that's Ayu Mainah! Let's go over there," she said to the owner of the stall next to hers.

The two elderly women approached the crowd, giggling at Ayu's jokes as they covered the short distance. When they got there, Ayu was in the middle of an "inflammatory" speech on the duty of employers in the upcoming elections.

"Employers who prevent their employees from exercising their right to vote will face fines up to Rp 600 millions *US$52,500*," he said.

"The blind and those with physical disabilities will be assisted by officials to cast their ballots."

As Jro Mangku listened to Ayu's statements, Denpasar KPUD head I Made Gede Ray Misno and his staff distributed brochures on the elections and how to vote. One of the brochures made its way to Jro Mangku's hands, and she read it carefully before making a conclusion.

"Well, now I know *how to vote*, but I haven't tried it yet," she said.

"The ballot is huge, isn't it?"

The Denpasar KPUD staff then entered the market's alleyways, visiting each stall and distributing brochures. Some of them soon engaged in warm discussions with the traders.

In one corner of the market, Denpasar KPUD member I.G.A. Diah Yuniti unfolded a ballot before several curious traders and housewives.

"This is the way to mark the ballot. Come on, take this marker and try it yourself," she encouraged the crowd. Ni Nyoman Ari, a housewife, took up the challenge. She steadied the ballot with her hands before looking for her party of choice. Then she made a comment that sent everybody into a fit of laughter.

"I don't know how to read, but I've memorized the number of the party I'll vote for. Here it is, number 28," she said before ticking on the box for the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the most popular party on the island.

The Denpasar KPUD also organized similar educational events at Pemedilan and Badung traditional markets, and at Puputan Margarana Square in Renon.

The commission borrowed a public announcement car from the Denpasar Information and Telecommunications Agency, and used the vehicle, specially outfitted with an outdoor sound system, during the campaign.

"We've also carried out educational sessions at every banjar *traditional neighborhood organization* in the city," Ray Misno said, adding more than 5,000 brochures had been distributed. The Denpasar KPUD, he added, would use the days prior to voting day to raise the public's awareness of how to vote.

"Many people initially thought they already knew how to vote, yet when we presented them with the ballot, they were literally shocked by the size of it," he said.