Kunti Suresh Melwani, 64, and her husband Suresh Melwani, 66, search for their names on the fixed lists of eligible voters at Grogol Utara subdistrict office, South Jakarta, Thursday (9/2). The two moved the date of their scheduled eye surgery forward and returned home to vote in the Jakarta gubernatorial elections on February 15, 2017.
On Thursday afternoon (9/2), the conversation about the Jakarta regional election was heating up at the terrace of the North Grogol sub-district office. There was Kunti, 60, and Suresh Melwani, 66, entrepreneurs who had pushed forward their surgery schedule and quickly returned home from Singapore for the sake of voting. There was also Suyono, 66, a construction supervisor from Juraganan village, who was prepared to skip a day of work to exercise his right to vote. Another person was Tony, 45, a businessman who asserted that he had not lost his right to vote. All three were backing three different candidates.
“Basically, Pak, this regional election should be like a match. It may be heated at the start, but when there is already a winner, that’s it. Everyone needs to accept it, there must not be any grudges held. If there is any commotion, it will be tough for us, the people,” Suresh said.
Tony, who was sporting a cycling jersey, responded by saying that differences should not lead to enmity, let alone intimidation at the time of voting.
“If there is (intimidation), there will be lots of police there. No need to worry, Pak,”said Suyono, joining in the conversation of the three people he barely knew yet.
The discussion started to heat up when each of the three mentioned their chosen candidates, which all happened to be different. However, they quickly agreed that differences should not lead to enmity. The discussion ended without trouble.
All three were brought together by the same concern that their names were not be included in the final voter list (DPT). Kunti was worried because she had not received a letter of invitation (C6). She also could not find her name on the final voter list.
Because of the election, Kunti and Suresh pushed forward the scheduled date for their cataract surgery at the Gleneagles in Singapore. “If my name is not there, I could cry,” said Kunti, whose right eye is still wearing a special cover.
Likewise, for the sake of voting, Suresh asked his child to return to Jakarta a day before the voting day. His child is currently residing in Singapore.
The amount of money spent to shift the journey and surgery schedule is not small. However, for the couple, who are residents of Permata Hijau, it would be more costly to have a leader who is not able to improve the welfare of the people of Jakarta.
“I am not hoping for my sake, but there are some people who are not yet prosperous,” he said. He is hoping for a leader who is able to continue to improve the welfare of the people.
The same hope was expressed by Suyono, 66, who came to inquire about the voting rights of his wife, Asmani, 66, and one of his children. “In the family, only me and the first child were sent (invitations). My wife and other child has not received an invitation,” said Suyono, who came riding a motorcycle with his wife.
Suyono was willing to sacrifice the income of one working day so that he could exercise his voting rights. The day’s income is considered big for someone who is the only breadwinner of the family. He hopes that the election will be calm, without any disorder. “If there is a commotion, there will be very few construction job requests. I could end up not working,” he said.
His hope is a simple one. But the fact is that the Jakarta regional election tends to be heated. False news and smear campaigns that have come up on social media have become a discussion across various media and regions and is oftentimes believed as the truth. There are also complaints of verbal and non-verbal intimidation.
Skipping graduation
The importance of the Jakarta regional election seems to have also been acknowledged by Muhammad Abie Zaidanmas, 24, who is set to miss his graduation ceremony in order to be able to vote in the election. Abie is supposed to officially receive his bachelor of political science title in a graduation ceremony at Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Yogyakarta, on February 16, 2017.
However, he does not want to miss out on voting in the Jakarta governor election. Why does the UGM International Relation department student insist on “attending” the regional election? “Simple. The occurrence in the US and England was because people thought that one vote would not matter.”
He is concerned about the sense of enmity in the candidates’ campaign period.Wrong and false informationcontinues to be produced, reproduced and spread without checking the truth. Ethnicity, religion and race are used as ammunition to attack candidates.
Narrow-minded people, Abie said, cannot be allowed to dominate. “I fear that this country will become less open,” he said.
For the sake of one vote, another Jakarta resident currently living outside of the capital made time to return. “My mother-in-law has come from Manado to vote,” said Victor, 26, from Bekasi.
His mother-in-law has been ready since Friday.
Effect felt
Some residents are eager to vote because Jakarta always needs improvements to become a more comfortable city for all its residents.
Retnowati, 36, from Klender, East Jakarta, has enthusiastically taken part and voted in the last two regional elections. Jakarta’s urban planning, she said, has improved, including its transportation.
“Previously, I have never seen change in this city. That is why I am eager to use my vote again in this regional election,” she said,
Nurul Izzaty, 34, from Mampang, South Jakarta, said that Jakarta’s urban planning has shown fairly quick progress. However, she regretted the lack of effort by the Jakarta administration to involve the public in urban planning projects. She thinks change is needed.
The decision to take part in the Jakarta regional election is not only for personal interests, but also for the interest of the whole population of Jakarta.
The enthusiasm among the people of Jakarta for the regional election is high. District and sub-district offices are always full of people sorting out administrative requirements such as letters of reference, electronic ID cards and ensuring that their names are included on the final voter list.
The North Grogol sub-district office is one of them.“Dozens of people come every day to ask about names in the final voter list,” said North Grogol voting committee official I’in Cariyah.
At the Pluit sub-district office, North Jakarta, Shofie, 35, finally managed to obtain a letter of citizenship for the regional election. She and her family had not recorded their data for their electronic ID cards.
“It would be a shame if it is not taken care of, we are worried that our data may be abused for the general election,” she said.
The sacrifice made by the people of Jakarta for this regional election has been huge. A lot of time, energy and money have been spent by individuals and families for the city of Jakarta.
Choices and reasons may be different. However, one thing is the same: a safe and peaceful regional election is like an enjoyable party. Don’t ruin and spoil it all with divisive political interests. That’s it.
