Some 300 workers died from fatigue counting votes in Indonesian elections – 29/04/2019

After a marathon election day, Deaths of at least 296 temporary workers in the 17 April elections in Indonesia mainly because of the exhaustion, which triggered a wave of victim support and criticism of the system.

2,151 more people became ill after more than 24 hours of manual work or performing supervisory tasks in the 800,000 polling stations that employed 7 million casual workers, confirmed today the Electoral Commission (KPU).

"The heroes of the Indonesian elections" or "the martyrs of democracy" are called on social networks those who have been killed after exhausting their work in difficult conditions. intense heatwhich provoked protests from indignant citizens in front of the headquarters of the electoral commission in Jakarta.

Wisnu Wibowo, 45, is recovering in the intensive care wing of Persahabatan hospital, east of the capital, where he was admitted the following day for the tireless work that He had accomplished during the elections, according to his younger brother. Agung.

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Agung indicates that Wisnu, whose preconditions affecting his health were unknown, he is still unconscious most of the time, while his wife stands guard in front of his room.

"There were too many victims, I think it was very complicated elections.I hope that in the future, we will be able to use another method so that it does not happen." There are no sick or dead workers, "Agung said.

For the first time in the history of the third largest democracy in the world, Indonesians have chosen in a single day between about 245,000 candidates to the president, vice-president, members of the lower and upper houses, and legislative representatives at provincial and municipal levels.

The Vice President himself, Jusuf Kalla, requested that does not coincide with so many elections in the same day.

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With more than 17,000 islands and an extension of about 5,000 kilometers from east to west, the elections represent a logistical challenge in Indonesia, which will announce the official results on May 22 with a likely victory of the current president, Joko Widodo, according to an unofficial count.

It is estimated that nearly 193 million Indonesians called to vote received 5 ballots each out of 80%, then they were counted by hand by the members of the tablesin some cases until the next morning.

"They were exhausted because they had to badume their responsibilities in some cases, for more than 24 hours", said the spokesman of the electoral commission, Arief Priyo Susanto, during a telephone conversation.

Ishak Sarawiajo led the working group at a polling station in the north of the capital where one of his colleagues, Hamid Baso, over 50 years old, he was in a coma for two days after the elections and now he is recovering in a hospital in the north of the city.

For Sarawiajo, the dead deserve to be called "heroes of democracy" since they died while fulfilling their duty.

The families of the deceased will receive 36 million rupees (about $ 2,535)), the disabled (30 million) and the sick or wounded will receive 16.5 million in case of seriousness and 8.25 million for the minor, according to a statement from the KPU.

Australian University, Marcus Mietzner, believes that it is difficult to determine how many people affected have died from exhaustion or other independent causes, and ensures that government compensation can serve as an incentive to report any type of death.

"It is probably instructive to compare this with the death rate of pbading travelers (main pilgrimage of Muslims to Mecca.) In 2018, 385 Indonesian travelers died during the operation, out of a population of 203,000 inhabitants, "said the Australian professor. .

EFE Agency.

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