Indonesian expats take part in historic election process
abu dhabi/ dubai — Indonesian expats in the UAE became part of their country’s first-ever simultaneous general elections to pick the next president, vice-president, and members of the People’s Consultative Assembly on Friday.
There are over 100,000 Indonesians in the UAE. The total number of registered Indonesian voters in the UAE stands at 9,211 — 4,406 in Abu Dhabi and 4,805 in Dubai.
Incumbent Indonesian President Joko Widodo is seeking reelection. His vice-presidential running mate is Ma’ruf Amin, a popular senior Muslim cleric. The opposing presidential candidate is Prabowo Subianto, a former military general, who is paired with Sandiaga Uno, former deputy governor in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. Around 20,000 seats in the national board and local councils are also being contested by 16 national parties and four local parties in the Aceh Province.
Indonesian missions had an option to pick a date between April 8 and 14, ahead of the national elections in Indonesia on April 17, and the political exercise in the UAE was held on Friday.
The polls in Abu Dhabi and Dubai were conducted by the General Election Commission through its Overseas Elections Commission (OEC) and the counting of votes will be held on April 17, same day as the elections and counting of votes in Indonesia. “We are here to chart the destiny of our county in the next five years and beyond,” Indonesian Consul-General Ridwan Hassan told Khaleej Times.
Ambassador of Indonesia to the UAE Husin Bagis added: “The commission reached many Indonesians having right to vote and registered them. A vote signifies their active contribution and shared responsibility
towards the country. It helps to shape the future development path of the country,” Bagis said.
The embassy’s First Secretary Nur Ibrahim, said majority of expats were domestic workers and it wasn’t easy to reach them.
Rofita Djamawar, minister counsellor and in-charge of political affairs, said there were three options to vote — visit polling station, postal ballot system and mobile drop box. “There are some citizens who didn’t register and they came after 3pm. Even those on visit and transit too have a chance.”