Hence, we strive to assure and inspire (people with disabilities) to be involved in every stage of the election process.
Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - The General Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) of Papua province has invited people living with disabilities to participate in supervising the implementation of the 2024 General Elections so that they can be conducted fair and square.

A member of Papua provincial Bawaslu Anugrah Pata told ANTARA here on Thursday that his party is intensively carrying out dissemination in a number of areas to encourage the community to participate in monitoring the general elections.

"On Monday (March 20, 2023), we disseminated the implementation of the participatory election supervision to persons with disabilities in Jayapura city, so that they can find out how far the progress (of the implementation of election stages),” he noted.

He said that according to Article 5 of Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning General Elections, people living with disabilities have the same voting rights as non-disabled people as long as they meet the requirements.

Persons living with disabilities also have the right to become participants (prospective legislative members or executive leaders) or the organizers of the general elections, the Bawaslu member added

“Hence, we are striving to assure and inspire (people living with disabilities) to be involved in every stage of the election process," he stated.

It is expected that the Bawaslu’s attempts can improve the confidence of people living with disabilities to participate in determining the future leaders of the country, he added.

"We want this group (persons with disabilities) to not feel inferior and ashamed to use their rights (as voters) to know about the progress of every stage of the general elections,” Pata said.

Through this dissemination, his party also hopes to encourage people with disabilities to take part in preventing potential election violations.

"If persons with disabilities can be confident and enthusiastic to be actively involved in overseeing every progress of (election) stage, certainly their voting rights can be accommodated properly” he added.

The general elections are scheduled to take place on February 14, 2024. The most recent stage of the general elections carried out by the General Election Commission (KPU) was voters’ personal data verification, which was held from February 12 to March 14, 2023.

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Translator: Qadri Pratiwi, Uyu Liman
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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