Indonesian Migrant Workers Say General Elections in Hong Kong Have Been 'Chaotic'
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19 January 2024 23:18 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A number of Indonesian migrant workers in Hong Kong reported how chaotic the 2024 general elections have been going on in the region. The Indonesian Consulate in Hong Kong only provides four polling stations and many migrant workers have not received their ballot papers over wrong addresses.
Surati, one of the workers said on Friday that more than 162,000 of the final voter list in Hong Kong will participate in postal voting since Beijing disallowed general elections to be conducted outside of Indonesia's territory. Meaning, that the voting may only take place on the grounds of the Indonesian Consulate in Hong Kong.
"It's true, the general elections are chaotic this time around," she told Tempo.
Some workers have gone back to Indonesia, yet the houses of their employers are still receiving the ballot papers. Some ballot papers are sent to the addresses of the migrant workers' last employers, causing them to tear off the ballot papers. Consequently, the workers lost their right to vote.
Another case was the double ballot papers, Surati said. Some workers even missed out on registering to vote since they didn't receive any information about the 2024 general elections.
"Socialization to the Indonesian migrant workers has been lacking. For the wrong addresses, we have recommended them to update the addresses," she said.
Marjenab, another migrant worker, admitted that she's no longer surprised by the chaos. She's one of the Indonesians in Hong Kong to participate in postal elections. However, since she has no knowledge of the legislative candidates, she still has not filled the ballot papers.
Indonesian citizens in Hong Kong must send their ballot papers before February 15. Meanwhile, direct general elections at the Indonesian Consulate will be conducted on February 13.
The chaotic nature of the overseas general elections in Hong Kong is also felt by S. Lestari. Some received double ballot papers, some did not receive a single ballot paper, and some employers received double ballot papers for their new and old employees.
"Online shopping is not even this disorganized," she said.
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