"Nearly 32 Indonesian citizens cast their ballot in Walvis Bay, 38 in Windhoek, and 67 in Angola," Miranto Suwandi, a diplomat in charge of information and socio-cultural affairs at the Indonesian Embassy in Windhoek Namibia, informed Antara London on Monday.
He revealed that mobile ballot boxes were used in Angola, Luanda, and Soyo on April 8-10, 2019, with Walvis Bay, Namibia, following suit on April 12, 2019, and foreign polling stations in Windhoek, Namibia, replicating this model on Sunday (Apr 14).
Suwandi pointed out that successful voting in Namibia and Angola was testament to the fact that distance posed no hindrance to Indonesian citizens to cast their ballot.
The enthusiasm of Indonesians was palpable when the Committee on Overseas Election along with mobile ballot boxes arrived to assist with implementing the 2019 election.
Indonesians residing in remote areas and not likely to visit voting stations in Windhoek have voted through mobile ballot boxes.
Nearly 31 out of the 32 Indonesian citizens voting in Walvis Bay were Indonesian sailors employed in fishing vessels. The vote-collecting team in Walvis Bay approached the fishing boats, so that all Indonesian crew members were able to channel their voting rights in the 2019 election.
Similarly in Angola, the vote collection team lauded Indonesian citizens lending their strong support to implementing a good and smooth voting process.
"The enthusiasm of Indonesians in Windhoek is at the same level as that in other regions. Entertainment activities, such as karaoke and free culinary offerings, have been readied at the voting stations in Windhoek to further enliven the atmosphere," he noted.
Indonesian Ambassador Eddy Basuki and wife Komalasari also reportedly cast their ballot on this eventful day. The polling station in Windhoek was open for the public to cast their vote until 6 p.m. local time.
Translator: Bambang Purwanto
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
