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Elections in Papua debunk smear campaign on Indonesia
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Officials carry ballot boxes for the 2019 elections at Wamena Airport in Jayawijaya, Papua. The boxes were distributed with helicopters to Yalimo regency in Welare and Benawa districts. (Antara/Yusran Uccang)
I
ndonesians of all walks of life deserve credit for their commitment to nurturing democracy by participating in the elections last week. Moreover, the General Elections Commission (KPU) needs a special mention as it performed its duties well, despite some hiccups.
Covering the entire archipelago for a one-election-day is a demanding and intricate task. Many observers agreed that in terms of organization, the Indonesian election was one of the world’s most complicated, with country’s sheer size presenting only one of its many challenges.
Another challenge was ensuring smooth elections in West Papua and Papua. According to KPU Papua head Theodorus Kossay, the commission had to distribute election materials to the province’s highland areas in advance in anticipation of natural phenomena such as heavy rain, reports said.
In 2014, the elections in Yahukimo regency had to be delayed due to unexpected bad weather. This time around, the KPU Papua also expressed concerns about security issues in Nduga regency, where a faction of the West Papua Liberation Army (TPNPB) led by Egianus Kogoya had told local communities not to participate in the April 17 elections.
In general, the local KPU was able to mitigate the difficult challenges. Nevertheless, in some areas, it encountered logistical difficulties and decided to postpone voting to the next day, April 18.
In some remote areas of Papua, eligible voters cast their votes not at polling station but through a noken system, in which voters gather for a musyawarah (consultation) to reach a mufakat (consensus) and later on, tribal leaders cast their votes at the polling station.
All in all, Papuans’ participation in the democratic process was a slap in the face for West Papua Liberation Movement (ULMWP) leader Benny Wenda, who had called for an election boycott.
