Two people passed away. We strongly believe that they died from exhaustion after organizing the electionsPekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA) - Bengkalis General Election Office (KPU) Head Fadihilah Al Mausuly confirmed the deaths of two heads of the Riau polling station working committees (KPPS) from exhaustion after clocking lengthy hours on polling day on Apr 17.
"Two people have died. We are of the firm belief that their deaths are attributed to exhaustion arising from toiling lengthy hours in organizing the elections," he revealed here, Sunday.
Yansen Adrys David, heading Polling Station (TPS) No. 5 in Bengkalis City, Riau Province, passed away on Apr 20 of a heart attack after hospitalization in Dumai.
"He died of an heart attack after working at a stretch for two days at the TPS," he remarked.
Suratinizar, head of the TPS No. 2 in Bantan Tua Village, Bantan Sub-district, Bengkalis District, lost his life in a traffic accident on April 18, 2019.
"There were indications of him suffering from exhaustion. He returned home from the polling station at 2 a.m. local time (On April 18). He later headed to his office for work, and in the afternoon, en route to home, he met with a traffic accident and lost his life," he explained.
Several local KPPS officers, not fit for protracted work hours, lost their lives or became ill during or following election day after working for no less than 48 hours to make preparations for the polling day until its implementation, vote counting, and ultimately ensuring that the ballot boxes were brought securely to the sub-district offices.
On April 18, Edirson, KPPS officer of Pekanbaru, Riau, suffered from a stroke during ballot counting at 4 a.m. local time, after having facilitated eligible voters to exercise their voting rights on the previous day.
Samaun, another KPPS officer in West Perawang, Tualang Sub-district, Siak District, Riau, too ailed from a stroke after work non-stop for 24 hours.
No less than three officers reportedly blacked out during ballot counting respectively in Pekanbaru, Kampar, and Pelalawan District, Riau.
Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic nation having more than 17 thousand islands, held simultaneous legislative and presidential elections across 34 provinces on April 17, 2019, considered to be the largest and most complicated election globally.
Over 192 million eligible voters chose their preferred president and vice president, members of the House of Representatives (DPR), senators of the Regional Representative Councils (DPD), members of the Provincial Legislative Council (DPRD 1), and members of the District/Municipality Legislative Council (DPRD II), at over 810 thousand polling stations set up across the country on the polling day.
Several voters expressed concern over the complicated nature of the elections coupled with dismal knowledge on whom to elect, apart from the president and vice president.
Eligible voters were given five ballots of different colors. In Pondok Gede, Bekasi City, West Java Province, for instance, a ballot for DPD has 50 pictures of senator candidates, while ballots of DPR, DPRD I, and DPRD II, bore pictures of 20 political parties in every ballot, and each party fielded nearly 11 legislator candidates.
With the polling stations closing down in the afternoon on voting day, officers had to conduct vote counting that generally lasted until the next day.
Translator: FB Anggoro, Fardah
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
