July 12, 2012
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Ice-pick day.
The day came when all residents of the city are given the exempt from working and encouraged to go to their destined location in their neighborhood to vote for their new governor.
It's been an engaging stint in the past several months for the six parties whom have been getting their head and asses on the saddle and ride the political horse to win the race. Many promises are made. Many somewhat sarcastic comments rendered against their opponents. But only one will be eligible to be elected, or re-elected, as the 2012 governor of the city of Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, and run the city for the next 5-year period.
Being someone who detest anything political, spend his days and nights avoiding the television, and have a lack of interest in the local newspapers, I, a permanent resident of Jakarta, have NOT a clue as to whom I should vote. I had not been following the progress of the race, and so had not a knowledge on the difference in their potential aptitude in running my city. An immature thought crossed my mind to just do the simple minnie-miny-moe method in choosing. But my conscious got the better of me, and so I asked around for useful details, only the day before the election day.
It was not my favorite morning. I remembered the scene of the location was a rather sad one. Under an outdoor blue plastic tent, there sitting behind cheap foldable tables, several personnel in their bored faces, with pages of list of names they can check-off to recognize that you are registered and eligible to vote. Two galvanized box stands placed on the opposite end, a good ten feet away, and five feet apart from each other. Behind each of the galvanized box stand, an ice pick (yeah, we are quite primitive) is placed for voters to use to vote. How? Well, when you registered, a folded paper is handed to you. Inside the paper are pictures of the candidates of the six parties, potential governors and their vice-governors. All you have to do is to prick through the number mentioned on top of your chosen party to win. A hole through the number is suffice to indicate that particular party has been voted.
Afterward, you fold back the paper, and on your way out place it inside a large galvanized box through a slot on top. Next, you dip one of your fingers into a bottle of ink prepared on site. The ink stain on your finger signifies that you have voted. Not wanting to dirty myself with a questionable ink (I doubt it was a fountain pen ink), I reluctantly dipped my pinkie (I was tempted to use my middle finger) ever so slightly on the top surface of the ink. The lady behind the counter where the ink bottle was placed gave me a peculiar look, as if I was terrified of contracting hepatitis from the ink. Others would gladly have dipped half of their finger in. But not me. No, sir.
Wanting to ever so badly to have a good day, I arranged a meet up with my mate. I was in need of good caffeine. Upon arrival at our meet-up spot, I ordered myself an affogato, while waiting for him to arrive. I was in a mood for an espresso and something sweet. I’m glad to say that after that shot of espresso, everything was all good.
Comments (18)
This device looks like an ice pick. *haha* Is this to go wild inside the election booth?
That really IS an ice pick, isn't it? You can take your frustration out on the pictures of the candidates.
Oh interesting. If we had that in the Philippines there will be chaos...and that's the last thing we need cos elections here is already a bloodbath. =/ And I hate politics...
Coffee has a soothing yet exciting effect on people.
Ah, a good cup of coffee.... a panacea.
Such a good description of the voting system. I smiled when I read about the candidates giving sarcastic remarks about the opponents. You need to hear some of the garbage that is being thrown around here in the presidential campaigns!
Rudy you are reading one of my favorite books. Abraham Verghese is such a good writer and a great tennis player. You know, he is the only faculty member on the Stanford Campus who has two offices? One for his students and the university work, and the other for his work as an author/ writer.
Instead of the finger, are you allowed to dip any other body parts into the ink?
I always find it funny that in a lot of other countries they vote using paint on fingers, is this some sort of identity verification thing? I never quite understood it.
Six candidates, that must be very confusing. I will having a meeting in Bali in September. I have been to Jakarta and Summatra. Lookforward to seeing another island.
@beowulf222 - hahaha... U WISH!!
@christao408 - oh, believe me. i DID
@oxyGENE_08 - yeah, i've heard how bad things can get there when it comes to politics. hope things get better for the sake of everyone.
@catstemplar2 - @secade - yes, a panacea indeed
@ZSA_MD - yes, he IS a great writer. this is the first time i've read medical descriptions that don't sound like a text book. i bet if he is responsible for writing all of the medical books that are out there, people will be reading them for leisure. by the way, how do you know how great of a tennis player he is and that he has two offices? do you know the guy? thanks for the recommendation, by the way
@ElusiveWords - oh, matt. i was this close to turn the event into a party so i could smear the ink all over me. honest!
@Scrooge0 - beats me. but that's just how things are done around here for years. so ingrained that if you see an inked finger, one would automatically associate it to "voting" system. if it were up to me, everyone would be dipping their finger into a bucket of buffalo wings with either hot sauce or sour cream, depending on the party you chose to vote. yeah, my people will be the happiest people if i were to be their president
@stevew918 - no kidding!! it would be a nice get-away for you and your bf. i would recommend at least a week off after the meeting. by the way, why would you fly half way around the world for a meeting? can't you guys do it the teleconference method?
@rudyhou - I have read several of his books, and each of them is as good as the other. I don't know him personally, but I know that his family (parents) came from the southern part of India and are well known. He himself grew up in Ethiopia and has traveled extensively. I knew about his two offices through a mutual friend.
That ink looks a little gross....
=o.
@ZSA_MD - i see. thanks for the information. i really thought you knew him.
@Vitamin_D - yeah. that coppery-slimy green-gloss look of the ink is not my first choice as a color for anything. imagine if i dipped my whole finger in it. yeah, not in a million years.
Well at least you got to vote, i dont have vote voice
Wow this was so cool to read ! It's amazing how different the voting experience is in other countries. Here there are certainly no holidays for people to vote. And I've never heard of anyone putting ink on their finger before. People just use a pen and mark off the box by the person they want to vote for. I think by having a day off of work though it may encourage more people to vote.
In Canada for example the voter turnout is always incredibly low...... sometimes not much higher than 50 %. While the voting processes are different in each country, the politicians seem to be the same. They make promises their can't fulfill and say just about anything to get people to vote for them ! Thanks for sharing your voting experience in Jakarta.... it was a fascinating read. Where are you from originally ?
And thanks for your very well written comment. It was great to actually get a wonderful insight from someone who actually has lived in one of the countries for many years and can truly speak from a more personal experience. Feel free to drop by and comment whenever you like. Take care and enjoy the rest of the weekend, bye for now.
Kyle
@vsan79 - it wouldn't make a difference. at least i don't think so. i'm sure many decided NOT to go and vote.
@kyle061685 - hi kyle, thanks for stopping by. glad you approved of my comment on your blog. hope it wasn't too much to digest. to be truthful, i think it's rather bogus to allow a "day-off" to make sure people vote. they could easily arrange the date to be on a weekend. they did this purposely so people won't have an excuse of not going. despite this method, i'm pretty sure many still stayed at home and just chill. if you are an employee, you can easily skip work and go to vote, however, many small businesses here are run by the owners only and they do not have the luxury to close their business for a day and loose the potential daily income they need to feed their family. it is very likely that they did not bother to go and vote at all. indonesia is still a third world country in development, thus many are still earning a low income. what they receive on daily basis, no matter how big or small, matters a lot to them.
Great post, thanks Rudy!
@CareyGLY - hi carey, thanks for stopping by