Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has called on lawmakers to find a solution to migrant workers who were disenfranchised in the Dec. 9, 2015 regional elections.

"Many people lost their right to vote because they were working away from home. They couldn't return home as they had no money and the local general elections commissions immediately erased their data," said Komnas HAM commissioner Dianto Bachriadi at a discussion at the Komnas-HAM office on Monday.

Simultaneous regional elections were held for the first time in 269 regions – nine provinces, 36 cities and 224 regencies – to elect governors, mayors and regents and their respective deputies. One hundred million people voted in the elections. The next round of regional elections will be in 2017.

The lack of accessibility not only affect those working abroad but also people working in places in the country far from their hometowns.

The commission has called on lawmakers to avoid a repeat of the condition by revising the Regional Elections Law while considering the human rights perspective. "On a human rights perspective, the implementation of the elections must meet several principles: free, fair, periodically implemented and genuine."

Meanwhile, National General Elections Commission (KPU) chairman Husni Kamil Manik said he had little to offer as a solution. "If someone wanted to vote, they could have returned home and just shown their ID," he said, adding that the commission had no capacity to facilitate migrant workers wanting to exercise their right to vote. (vps/bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/03/14/migrant-workers-lack-access-vote-rights-body.html