VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Hong Kong: Preparations for the 2024 general elections are underway abroad, including Hong Kong and Macau in China. Currently, the Hong Kong and Macau Overseas Election Committees (PPLN) are in the verification and socialization stages.

"Until today and then there is still data processing, data verification. Then at this time we are still busy with socialization activities," said Chairman of PPLN Hong Kong and Macau Agustinus Guntoro at the Smart Voting Movement (GCM) Workshop at the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) Hong Kong, Sunday (24/9/2023).

Guntoro said, since last April PPLN Hong Kong and Macau had completed the voter data collection process. A total of 164,691 Indonesian citizens have been recorded in the Permanent Voters List (DPT) in Hong Kong and Macau. Unlike the data collection in Indonesia, he admitted that his party encountered its own challenges, such as data verification.

"The obstacle is in data verification, in updating the data. We, through pantarlih (Voter Data Updating Officers), volunteers, and ourselves can only do it when our friends are out of the house, on holidays, which are usually Sundays," he continued.

Guntoro said that socialization is the key to solving voter problems in the field. His party now claims to have carried out various socialization methods, such as through social media, advertisements in newspapers, to souvenirs. In addition, PPLN Hong Kong and Macau also attended socialization invitations, both from the Consulate General and community organizations.

In addition to PPLN, the Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong also conducted socialization. Acting Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Hong Kong and Macau Slamet Noegroho socializes elections at every activity organized by the Consulate General.

"We have programs, in which we socialize elections. The difference is, we adjust it to the audience we are targeting. For example, workshops or consular stalls with PMI," he said.

Meanwhile, IDN Global Chapter Hong Kong-Macau Founding Chair Nathalia Widjaja mentioned issues that could affect voter participation. Especially in Hong Kong and Macau, where less than 50% of Indonesian citizens voted in the 2019 elections. One of them is the matter of moving voter data for most Indonesian citizens, who are Indonesian migrant workers (PMI).

"PMI said, it is not allowed to use the employer's address directly (to send ballots). This is related to data transfer and data recording. (Moreover) they do not immediately report themselves (to the Consulate General when there is such a problem)," she said.

Nathalia also highlighted the need for socialization to prospective voters, especially regarding postal elections. The postal method is one of the methods applied by the Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau, apart from at polling stations. According to him, PPLN needs to socialize how to submit requests to vote by post, cast ballots, and return them to PPLN.

The GCM workshop was organized and broadcast by RRI Voice of Indonesia, in collaboration with the Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong. The 2.5-hour event was part of LPP Radio Republik Indonesia's Smart Voting Movement. This movement is an election literacy movement so that prospective voters use their voting rights properly in the upcoming 2024 elections. (VOI/Rama)