Markus Makur, West Manggarai – Local General Elections Commissions (KPU) in East and West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara, are putting forth local dialects and mascots to encourage people to vote.
Using Komodo dragons as their mascot, KPU West Manggarai has boasted mottos such as "Ayo Manggarai Mabar Memilih!" (Let's vote, West Manggarai!) and local dialect such as "nuk" (remember) April 17 and "neka ghemong ngo one" ("don't' forget to go and vote").
"Using the local dialect, we have also created a short video to encourage people to use their voting rights in the upcoming general election," said KPU West Manggarai commissioner Thomas Aquino, who shared the video on social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter and text-messaging app WhatsApp.
Meanwhile, a similar message has echoed in East Manggarai: "ra'ub leso Rabu, 17 April 2019, tusuk paka burut, seka paka ghena one tempat pemungutan suara" (We'll meet on Apr. 17,2019 to punch holes in ballots until they pierce through our chosen candidates).
"We invite [voters] with local dialects so residents can fully understand their voting rights to choose a leader for the next five years," Stef said. (mai)