Zunita Putri, Jakarta – The Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno election campaign team (BPN) is proposing that the graves of polling station organising committee (KPPS) officials who died while on duty during the April 17 presidential and legislative elections (pemilu) be exhumed. The BPN believes there is something irregular about the large number of deaths.
“We proposed the other day that if it’s viewed as necessary then the bodies of all the [polling officials] who died mysteriously [be exhumed] because we haven’t heard in detail what the medical cause [of their deaths were], so all of the bodies need to be exhumed so autopsies can be carried out. So there isn’t any suspicion among the public”, said BPN member Mustofa Nahrawardaya at the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) building on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta on Friday May 3.
Nahrawardaya’s reason for making the proposal is because of the large number of electoral officials who fell in the line of duty. He believes that the large number of deaths has given rise to suspicions in the minds of the public.
“Because this is a record number of deaths, Pak [Mr] police officers, KPPS officials, as well as witnesses, as well as other pemilu officials, this is what we are all concerned about. So these deaths, this loss of life, doesn't become a joke, offering some amount of money [government compensation to the families] isn’t ethical”, he said.
As has been reported, according to data received by the General Election Commission (KPU) more than 400 KPPS officials have died and as many as 3,658 KPPS officials have fallen ill allegedly due to fatigue and overwork.
“This is still the latest [figure] I’ve got, it still 412 (deaths) as of last night, at 8 pm, May 2, that’s what we’ve received and collected from around the country”, said KPU Commissioner Evi Novida Ginting when speaking at East Jurang Mangu in South Tangerang on Friday May 3. (zap/fdn)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was “BPN: Bila Perlu Jenazah Petugas KPPS Dibongkar Supaya Tak Ada Curiga”.]
