Fearing Deportation, Undocumented Migrant Workers in Jeddah Vote as DPK During 2024 Election

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Jeddah Overseas Election Committee (PPLN) revealed that many undocumented migrant workers were using the special voter list or DPK to vote for fear of being deported. This was revealed by PPLN Jeddah during the plenary meeting to recapitulate the vote count for the 2024 elections on Friday.

The statement was brought upon by a question from a member of the Gerindra Party, Mariyatno Jamim, asking why the margin between DPK voters and final voter list (DPT) voters was too large in PPLN Jeddah. The total of DPTs in Jeddah amounted to 54,488, while only 1,916 exercised their voting rights. As many as 5,689 people voted on the additional voter list (DPTb).

"This is a very large number of special voters, you know, 9,576 people. Why were there more DPKs compared to DPTs and DPTbs?" questioned Mariyatno.

Chairman of PPLN Jeddah, Yasmi Adriansyah, said that many undocumented Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) there did not register themselves during the DPT updating process. According to Yasmi, a similar thing also happened in the 2019 elections. PPLN Jeddah, she said, had tried to reach out to Indonesian citizens in Jeddah to avoid being on the special voter list.

"But the process was not easy," said Yasmi.

Meanwhile, PPLN Jeddah member, Siti Rahmawati, said that migrant workers who did not have official documents while residing in Jeddah were worried about being deported if they registered in the final voter list. As a result, undocumented migrant workers in Jeddah exercised their right to vote using travel documents such as passports.

"They didn’t dare to register, they were worried that they would be reported to the Indonesian Consulate General and then deported," he said.

EKA YUDHA SAPUTRA

Editor's Choice: Around 1,900 Overseas Election's Ballot Papers in Malaysia Illegitimate, Migrant Care Says

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News