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ocal election officials are planning to hold workshops to incorporate traditional Papuan noken bags into the voting process.

Casting ballots in noken has been recognized as acceptable by the Constitutional Court.

“Noken have been used in lieu of ballot boxes. People vote for their candidates by placing ballot papers in a noken with the picture of a candidate, and then the papers are counted,” Papua General Elections Commission (KPUD) head Benny Sweni said on Friday.

Benny said that the original meaning of the noken system has shifted and currently entire villages could be represented by a single person. “This has the potential for commercialization, so an appropriate regulation must be sought. The regulation will later serve as a guideline on the noken system,” Benny said.

He made his comment on the sidelines of a meeting on local elections attended by representatives of the Indonesian Military (TNI), the National Police and the Election Supervisory Committee in Jayapura.

In the meeting, the commanding officer of the Cenderawasih Military District, Maj. Gen. Christian Zebua, and Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian said that the security apparatus would remain neutral as Papuans went to the polls.

Zebua said that the TNI was ready to provide assistance if requested by the Papua Police to secure the gubernatorial election.

According the Papua KPUD, nine campaigns have registered for the provincial gubernatorial election on Jan. 29, 2013.