Jakarta,
March 31 (Antara) - As worries increase that many people may go
"Golput" or abstain from next week's legislative elections, the
government and political parties urged eligible voters to vote to make
the elections more democratic.
"We call on the people to exercise their voting rights in this year's
legislative elections and the presidential election, so that they are
democratic and produce better quality results," Speaker of the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR) Sidarto Danusubroto said at a press
conference last week.
Worries about a big number of Golput voters in this year's elections
were among others also stated by Boki Ratu Nita Budhi Susanti, a member
of the House of Representatives (DPR)'s Commission II on home affairs.
She predicted that about 40 percent of the 185.8 million eligible
voters might go Golput or abstain and stay at home on the election day.
"I
am afraid that the number of Golput voters will reach 40 percent of the
eligible voters," Boki Ratu Nita Budhi Susanti said last Friday.
Boki, who was re-nominated by the ruling Democratic Party (PD) as a
legislative candidate, based on her observations on the latest
conditions in the fields, said the public trust of political parties was
declining.
"They were already tired of promises by political parties and the
behaviors of political party figures who are involved in different
cases, such as corruption and infidelities. This had led the people to
become apathetic," she noted.
Therefore, the government needs to constantly popularize the importance
of the people to exercise their political rights during the elections
day, Boki added.
After all, about 45 percent of the voters are still uncertain about
their picks for the legislative elections on April 9, according to the
research institute Center for Strategic and International Studies
(CSIS).
"Political contest for the legislative as well as the presidential
candidates was still relatively tight because about half of the
respondents stated their decisions may change," CSIS researcher Philips
Jusario Vermonte said at a press conference on Monday.
In this regard, popular presidential candidate of the Democratic Party
of Struggle (PDIP) Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi, who is also the
current Jakarta governor, called on voters to use their voting rights.
When campaigning in Cianjur West Java, on Saturday, Jokowi appealed to the people to launch an anti-Golput movement.
"I ask young supporters to launch an anti-Golput campaign because
elections are vehicles for the people to usher in changes through their
representatives in the DPR," Jokowi, who is tipped to be the winner of
the July 9 presidential race, noted.
In a meeting with the Cianjur community, Jokowi pointed out a number of
ways to explain the importance of the people channeling their
aspirations through the elections. Casting votes in elections is the
democratic means to form a good government for the interest of the
people.
"We have to explain to them the legislative functions where their
representatives are elected to fight for their interests. A president
will be weak and meaningless if he or she is not supported by adequate
number of legislators," Jokowi said.
Presidential candidate of the Golkar Party Aburizal Bakri (ARB) also
stressed the importance of people casting their votes in the
elections.
"People should visit the polling stations on April
9, 2014, to cast their votes. You should not abstain from voting
(Golput)," ARB, who is also the Golkar general chairman, said when
campaigning at Yogyakarta's Degung Square on Saturday.
He explained that by exercising their rights to vote, the people would
decide the fate of the Indonesian nation. So, it is important for the
people to make their choices. ARB said further that Golkar was a
professional political party with tens of years of experience in leading
Indonesia.
According to Sutiyoso, the general chairman of the Indonesian Unity and
Justice Party (PKPI), becoming a Golput because of decreasing trust on
political parties is not a solution. Thus, he called on the people to
consistently vote for their choices.
"We have to decide our fate in the next five years. Therefore,
eligible voters should not abstain from voting," Sutiyoso remarked when
campaigning at the Glora Bung Karno Sports Stadium last Friday.
He said Indonesia had organized general elections three times since the
reforms movement in 1999, but the number of Golput voters had been on
the rise. This is because many people's representatives in the House
betrayed the people, took bribes and only thought of their own and their
parties interests.
"As a result, the people are frustrated and have become apathetic. So,
the people should select a party that does not have corrupt
politicians," Sutiyoso, who is also a former Jakarta governor, said.
Meanwhile, General Chairperson of the Indonesian Women's Congress
(Kowani) Dewi Motik Pramono also urged voters to use their voting rights
in the 2014 general elections.
"We live in Indonesia. We breathe its air, drink its water and feed on
yields from its natural resources. So, we will sin if we join the Golput
group of people," Dewi Motik Pramono noted.
Dewi stated that although many were disappointed with legislative
candidates and may abstain from voting in the legislative elections, yet
they should vote in the presidential elections. "We have to pray and be
courageous to vote so that we will make the right choice," she added.
She said in the United States many voters were also not satisfied with
the candidates, yet they consistently went to the polling stations.
"They
may just denounce candidates. They may also call them jerks, yet they
consistently exercise their voting rights. This is an indication of
maturity of the people there with regard to democracy," the Kowani
chairperson asserted.
To make the elections a success, the government also called on the
people to use their voting rights. In this regard, President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyhono had held a consultation meeting with important state
leaders.
The consultation meeting between the state institutions and President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono led to an agreement to urge the people to cast
their votes in the 2014 general elections.
Besides the MPR
speaker and the president, the consultation meeting was also attended by
Vice President Boediono, House Speaker Barzuki Alie and Chairman of the
Regional Representatives Council (DPD) Irman Gusman.
Other participants included Constitutional Court (MK) Chairman Hamdan
Zoelva, Supreme Court (MA) Chairman Muhammad Hatta Ali, State Audit
Board (BPK) Chairman Hadi Poernomo and Judicial Commission (JK) Chairman
Suparman Marzuki.
The
participants of the consultation meeting said the 2014 general
elections should provide an important momentum to improve the quality of
the country's democracy in terms of creating welfare for the
people.
"Of course, the democracy we are referring to is not
democracy for the interest of democracy itself, but also of creating
prosperity for everyone," Sidarto said.
He said the attendees of the consultation meeting hoped that the
people's participation in the election should be based on voters'
awareness, not a result of public mobilization, let alone on money with
political purpose.
A total of 12 political parties at the national level will contest in
the upcoming April 9 legislative elections to vie for the votes of 185.8
million eligible voters and to win the 560 seats at stake in the
parliament.***1***
(T.A014/INE/H-YH)
EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/BESSR/A/Yosep) 31-03-2014 17:59: |
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