Panwaslu Members In NTT Gotong Royong Pikuk Kotak Suara Terobos Banjir

Screenshots of a number of Panwaslu members in Amfoang District, Kupang Regency, NTT, carrying ballot boxes through the flood to the TPS. (ANTARA/HO-Panwaslu Amfoang)

A number of members of the Election Supervisory Committee of Northwest Amfoang District, Kupang Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, worked together to carry out ballot boxes by breaking through the flood to TPS in Saukibe and Timau villages.

A member of the Panwaslu, Northwest Amfoang District, Oby Mesra Natbais, was contacted from Kupang, Tuesday night, saying members were forced to take the electoral ballot boxes to the two villages because there were no more bridges connected to the two villages.

The old bridge, which is the access to the two villages, has collapsed in 2021 and has not been built again.

"From the sub-district office, we actually rented a truck to bring a number of ballot boxes to the two villages, but when we arrived at the Bonpo River, it turned out that the truck could not pass," Oby said as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, February 13.

The truck driver is worried that if it forces him to cross the flood, the vehicle will sink and the water in wet the ballot box.

Oby said there were 50 ballot boxes that had to be handled manually by all panwaslu officers to the two villages by crossing the flood.

"So that residents in the two villages can voting, we then work together to carry the ballot boxes to the polling stations in the two villages," he said.

Oby is grateful that the condition of 50 ballot boxes containing ballots and other election equipment was not damaged, especially when exposed to water while crossing the flood.

"It was until around 17.30 WITA and everything was safe, nothing was wet," he added.

The Amfoang District area is indeed known as an area with many rivers. Dozens of rivers with a length of about one kilometer or even more are in the area.

Oby hopes that on voting day or voting on February 14, 2024, there will be no rain so that the village community can channel their voting rights.

"The problem is that if it rains tomorrow, the chances of voters will decrease," he said.