People Not Voting
Aug 12th, 2008, in News, by Patung
People not participating in elections, fit to be stripped of Indonesian nationality or sinful.
The proportion of registered voters not taking part in regional and city elections (Golput (golongan putih atau tidak memilih)) this year averages around 40% and the matter has created some controversy.
In early July leader of PDI Perjuangan, Megawati Soekarnoputri, said at a campaign rally in Ambon that deliberate abstainers should not be Indonesian citizens, as not voting was in some sort of violation of the law, and was an insult to democracy. kompas
And on 6th August, the leader of the Partai Kebangkitan Nasional Ulama (PKNU), Idham Khalid, said that abstaining was
haram
He advised PKNU cadres, as representatives of the party of “Islam Ahli Sunnah wal Jamaah”, to inform the people that not voting was sinful in the eyes of God, because citizens must take part in the life of the country and state. antara
32 Comments on “People Not Voting”
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I’m already not an Indonesian citizen and I’m deliberately not going to vote.
If I were an Indonesian citizen I wouldn’t vote as I’m against gambling, which, given that 38 parties have ‘approval’ to campaign in the ongoing election (not including the specifically Acehnese parties), will be a lottery.
Except that most are spin offs from the three Soehartoist parties of yore.
In other words, where’s the choice?
Comment on “People Not Voting”.
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If golput is a matter of not care, how should a country react to this? It seems the country has citizens who just don’t care about their country, but they live under the law and get every facility provided by the country (or I can say citizens who care).
It seems also to say that some people who just don’t care are ready to accept any result of the voting. I don’t think so… I think for some cases people don’t care because they lack of knowing. They just don’t know which party will do things better for them. So, whoever wins the election would not give benefit to them… It might be wrong perception. Look what’s happening now… having new government after Suharto. Things are changed.