KPU encourages voting among disabled

Hotli Simanjuntak ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Banda Aceh   |  Tue, 06/23/2009 12:26 PM  |  Presidential Election

A General Elections Commission (KPU) official has encouraged handicapped citizens to exercise their right to vote on July 8 and assured them appropriate facilities would be made available.

Happy Sebayang, a member of the KPU's division for the handicapped, said besides making special regulations, the polling body, in cooperation with the government, would make wheelchairs, earphones, braille templates and special translators available to the handicapped.

"The government and KPU have anticipated possible problems during the race, because at least six million of Indonesia's 176 million voters constitute a special group of citizens whose voting rights are guaranteed by the law and the constitution," he said at a recent election awareness raising event for the city's disabled.

KPU Ruling No. 29 on technical guidance for the presidential election also requires poll workers to set up polling stations in locations accessible to the handicapped; according the regulations, polling stations must be set up on the ground floor.

The KPU has held official events to raise awareness among handicapped voters in eight provinces so far and is expecting a high number of people from this demographic will turn out to vote on July 8, Happy said.

The city's handicapped have however, expressed their skepticism, saying most handicapped people in the province did not vote in the April 9 legislative election because of what they described as the government's ignorance of their needs.

"Speaking frankly, we're skeptical about the polling body's pledge because of their poor effort in the legislative election," said Dike, a 28-year-old who has been wheelchair bound since birth.

Dike added that most of the handicapped did not vote in the legislative election because many were not registered with the polling body and that many others had no access to the polling stations in their villages.

"I have to walk a long distance to reach the polling station and I need the help of my neighbors," he said.

Meanwhile, Chief of the Independent Election Commission (KIP) Akmal Abzal acknowledged the commission did not provide any equipment or assistance to handicapped voters, as it is not required by regulations.

"The commission will not provide special polling stations for the handicapped, but certain tools such as templates and earphones will be made available in polling stations if the handicapped need them," he said.

He said the committee has registered the handicapped based on their place of residence, instead of by using their identity card, as is the case with able-bodied people, to ensure they vote in the polling station nearest to where they live.

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