Lampung Bawaslu Notes 20 Thousand Residents Living In Protected Forests Threatened With Loss Of Vote Rights

Lampung Lampung Bawaslu member Tamri when questioned after the Workshop Covering Elections/Pilkada held by the Press Council, in Bandarlampung, Thursday (25/7/2024). (ANTARA/Dian Hadiyatna)

Lampung Bawaslu said that there are around 20 thousand residents living in protected forests, areas and registered areas in this province in danger of losing their voting rights in the 2024 Simultaneous Pilkada. "So apart from money politics, another threat to this election is voter data in a special area. There are around 20 thousand people living in protected forests in this province," said Bawaslu Tamri member, at the Election/Pilkada Covering Workshop held by the Press Council, in Bandarlampung, Antara, Thursday, July 25. He said that the 20 thousand residents who occupied the protected forest were scattered in Mesuji, Way Kanan, Tanggamus, Pesisir Barat, and West Lampung regencies. "In Mesuji Regency, for example, there are around 7 thousand people living in protected forests, then also in Way Kanan, Tanggamus, Pesisir Barat, West Lampung. In total there are around 20 thousand Lampung residents who live in protected forests,” he said. According to him, voter data in this special area is a threat because the General Election Commission (KPU) cannot establish a polling house (TPS) in a protected forest. “Actually, they have a permanent house outside the protected forest. But indeed they are a bit difficult to use their voting rights because they live in register forests, protected forests, regional forests," he said. Tamri also mentioned that the threat of the 2024 Pilkada is that the supervision of participatorys in Lampung is quite low, only 15 percent of public reports in the 2024 General Election.

"The increase in the role of participatory supervisors is also our focus. Because the average violation is the findings of Bawaslu," he said.