Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

While Tangerang politicians and officials are busy preparing for Sunday's poll, the regency's first direct election, the residents are much less concerned.

As part of the regency that borders the capital has become home for many of Jakarta's middle-class workers, many residents spend most of the day outside Tangerang and are unfamiliar with its problems.

Mulyono, 45, who lives in the Nuri Bintaro Jaya housing complex, said that he had paid no attention to the election process as he has not registered to vote.

"I just come home to sleep … There is no need for me to pay heed to the local political matters since they won't make any changes to my life.

"I am not the only one … most of my neighbors think the same way. We prefer discussing former president Soeharto's health when we meet each other to talking about the regency election," said Mulyono, who works in Jakarta.

Three pairs of candidates will take part in the Jan. 20 poll.

Incumbent Regent Ismet Iskandar, who is running with actor Rano Karno, is backed by a coalition of 15 political parties, including Golkar, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, the National Mandate Party and the United Development Party.

A coalition of six parties, including the Prosperous Justice Party and the Crescent Star Party, are backing Jazuli Juwaini and running mate Airin Rachmy Diani.

Husamah Hisyam and Habib Alwi Al Husaini have secured the support of the Democratic Party and the National Awakening Party.

The regency, which celebrated its 63rd anniversary on Dec. 27, is home to 3.5 million people.

It is expected that around 2.26 million residents will vote in the election.

A growing industrial area, the regency is divided into four zones, 40 percent of which are designated for commercial premises.

The southern part of the regency, containing Ciputat, Pamulang, Pondok Aren, Serpong, Pagedangan and Cisauk districts, has developed into a robust trade and services area with bustling housing estates.

In the center of the regency are Pasar Kemis, Curug, Legok, Rajeg, Cikupa, Panongan, Balaraja and Sepatan districts, which have been developed into industrial zones.

The northern part of the regency, consisting of Teluk Naga, Kosambi, Kresek, Kronjo, Mauk, Pakuhaji, Sukadiri and Kemeri districts, still maintains the farming and fishery sectors, while to the west, in Tigaraksa, Cisoka, Jambe and Jayanti districts, are handicraft factories.

However, many residents living in the southern part of the regency have little faith in any of the candidates in the election.

"There is a silver lining, though … the residents are not fanatical supporters of any one candidate, and this means conflict is unlikely," Cecep Suherman, a resident of Ciputat, told The Jakarta Post.

Cecep's neighbor Himawan said he was still confused because he was not registered to vote but he and his wife had received a letter from the neighborhood unit chief inviting them to cast their ballots on Sunday.

Similarly, Johan Asmara, a resident of Pondok Jaya in Pondok Aren district, said he was also uncertain about the election.

"I don't think many people will vote because we don't know much about any of the candidates, nor what to expect from them."

The lack of demographic information especially on Ciputat, Pamulang and Pondok Aren, which the regency shares with Jakarta, has posed problems for the electoral commission, which has been attempting to make an accurate list of eligible voters in the area.

Along with industrial zones Cikupa and Pasar Kemis, the three districts have the highest number of potential voters.

"However, many of the residents there have not been registered. We apologize if one or two residents were kept off the list," the commission's election working group chairman Ikin Kurnendi told the Post Sunday.

However, poll commission chairman Jamaludin said that there would be no revisions made to the voter list.

"The figure is final. There will be no extension period for registrations."

He added that each election office at the district level had worked hard to verify voter registration data.

The list of registered voters, he said, was based on a database of potential voters provided by each district.

 

Tags: Muta Fidrus, Regencys first direct election, Tangerang politicians