BADUNG: The oversized ballots and the confusion over whether to tick or punch were not the only things that voters in Bali's Badung regency had to worry about. Living in the regency that has been declared the rabies epicenter apparently warranted voters to be extra vigilant for stray dogs too.
I Wayan Suartana was a living example of that notion. The 52-year-old knew he had to tick the ballot. Unfortunately, a stray dog that followed him into polling station 11 in Blungbang hamlet, Mengwi, stopped him from ticking for his party of choice. Just as he was about to enter the polling station, the dog jumped him and bite him in his left thigh.
Being an exemplary citizen, Suartana endured the pain, cast his ballot and sped away to Sanglah General Hospital, where he received the appropriate post-exposure rabies treatment.
There is still no word on whether the Bali Elections Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) will take any legal measure action the stray dog. Hindering a citizen from exercising their right to vote is a criminal offense. - JP
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