Officials have to transport ballot boxes to remote islands and mountainous regions to ensure everyone gets to vote.
THOUSAND ISLANDS, Indonesia – Carrying out nationwide elections in Indonesia, which consists of more than 17,000 islands, can be a logistical nightmare for the government.
The district, located to the north of the capital, consists of 110 islands, the most remote of which – Sebira Island – can be reached only after a six-hour boat ride.As many as 320 ballot boxes, containing a total of 21,000 ballot papers, were deployed to these islands on Feb 9 from the Ancol Marina port in North Jakarta.
“The farthest island is Sebira, reachable in six hours, while the rest of the islands are reachable within two hours,” Mr Iman said, adding that Sebira has a population of 900. In Aceh, the local election commission mulled over using elephants to transport ballot boxes over rough terrain, and in Lampung, officials will use cows to drag the boxes on mud tracks to and from polling stations, AFP reported.The Straits Times visited three islands in the Thousand Islands district on Feb 9 to speak to voters and found that the upcoming election is both a social and political event for the islanders.
Mr Azir Kahfi, 33, an electrician on Pari Island, a half-hour boat ride from Jakarta, considers Polling Day to be a major social and festive event, as it is the only time villagers from the east and west of the island gather to share community news and updates on their businesses.
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