REGIONAL HEAD ELECTIONS IN PAPUA RELATIVELY SMOOTH, PEACEFUL by Fardah

Jakarta, Feb 15, 2017 (Antara) - Although reports on the implementation of gubernatorial election in Jakarta overshadowed simultaneous regional head lections (pilkada) in 100 other regions across the country on Feb 15, Papua still received a special attention because the province is considered risky in terms of security.
          Eleven districts and cities in Papua held pilkada, with the number of eligible voters reaching 1,445,976, and the number of candidates reaching 38 pairs.  
     The 11 regions were Jayapura District, Mappi, Sarmi, Nduga, Tolikara, Intan Jaya, Lany Jaya, Dogiai, Puncak Jaya, Yapen Island, and Jayapura City.
         Voting was held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. local time across 3,864 polling stations throughout the province.
         However, voter turnout during the implementation of the mayoral election in Jayapura City, the capital of Papua, was less than 60 percent, which is considered quite low, according to Governor of Papua Lukas Enembe.
          It appears that several residents of Jayapura were not aware of the mechanism of the pilkada, with only one pair of mayoral and deputy mayoral candidates, the governor stated.
         "I think the General Election Commission (KPU) has not done its best in disseminating information on the pilkada, either due to the lack of time or since the city was facing too many problems," he added.
           He also cited the fact that only one pair had taken part in the pilkada in Jayapura City, which might have discouraged several residents from exercising their right to vote.      

    In Jayapura City, Benhur Tommy Mano and Rustan Saruh contested the local election as candidates for the mayor and deputy mayor posts, respectively.
          Hery Dosinanen, secretary of the Papua provincial administration, seconded the governor's view, saying that the KPU had failed in managing the pilkada's voter lists, as few Jayapura residents did not receive invitations to vote.
          In terms of security, the elections overall ran smoothly and safely, despite several relatively minor incidents reported.
          In Dogiyai District, a candidate hit Kamu Sub-district Head, because he was disappointed with the distribution of ballot papers, Dosinaen said.
           In Mappy, a car belonging to one of the candidates, carrying money and food, was seized by the local authorities for alleged money politics.
           In Nduga District, distribution of election logistics was delayed due to bad weather. Polling was also delayed n Nduga, a remote area that needed a helicopter to deliver the logistics.
          The decision to delay or repeat the polling will be decided by the KPU, and the Papua administration can only monitor its implementation, he stated.
          Papua Police Chief Inspector General Paulus Waterpauw also confirmed that the situation in Papua was safe and under control during the election.
         Such a situation is expected to continue until the processes of ballot counting and the declaration of the winners are completed, Waterpauw noted.
          As many as 4,872 security personnel, comprising police and military officers, have been deployed to secure the pilkada. 
    Jayapura Police have intensified security measures to prevent crimes and traffic accidents during the pilkada process, particularly in several regions prone to crimes, such as in the districts of Puncak Jaya, Lanny Jaya, and Nduga, where armed separatists are in hiding.
          Logistics for pilkada had been distributed since Feb 6 in Papua and West Papua by helicopters rented by the National Regional Elections.
         The police have urged bars, night clubs, massage parlors, and liquor shops to remain closed during the elections, Head of the Jayapura City Police Resort Adjunct Senior Commissioner Tober Sirait remarked on Feb 13.
         In the neighboring West Papua Province, four regions, namely Maybrat, Tambrauw, Sorong City, and Sorong District held simultaneous pilkada..
         According to the acting governor of West Papua Province, Eko Sorong, the elections ran peacefully and smoothly as expected.
          He called on the inhabitants of West Papua to maintain unity during the democratic event.
          "I really hope for the support of the West Papua people to make the pilkada a success," he said earlier.
          Meanwhile, some 40 million eligible voters went to the polling stations in 101 regions across Indonesia for the simultaneous pilkada. 
      A total of 337 pairs of candidates competed for gubernatorial seats in the seven provinces of Jakarta, Aceh, Banten, Bangka Belitung, Gorontalo, West Papua, and West Sulawesi; mayoral seats in 18 municipalities; and district heads in 76 districts.
          According to information from the KPU, which implements the simultaneous pilkada, at least 45.59 million ballot papers were required for the elections. 
Of the total, over 22.91 million ballot papers were set aside for voters in the district head and mayoral elections and 22.67 million for voters in the gubernatorial or provincial head elections. ***2***
(f001/INE)
EDITED BY INE

(T.F001/A/BESSR/A. Abdussalam) 15-02-2017