91 Election Officers Die of Exhaustion: KPU

The General Election Commission (KPU) reported that until 22 April 2019, 91 polling station working committee (KPPS) officers in 19 provinces reportedly died and 374 under medical treatment due to exhaustion after working long hours for the elections.

The KPU has also announced plan to meet with officials of Ministry of Finance to discuss the possibility of providing financial compensation to the family of the officers.

“The KPU has proposed compensation money for relatives of the deceased officers amounting to Rp30-36 million, while those who are sick are given a maximum amount of Rp30 million. As for those injured, we propose they get a maximum compensation of Rp16 million,” KPU Chairperson Arief Budiman said in Jakarta on Monday (22/4).

Previously, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo expressed condolences over the death of a number of KPPS officers who helped organize the 2019 elections.

“Once again on behalf of the state and the people, let me extend my deepest condolences over the incident,” President Jokowi said in Jakarta, Monday (22/4), adding that the KPPS officers were ‘fighters of democracy’. (BPMI Setpres/ES)

Translated by: Estu Widyamurti
Edited by: M. Ersan Pamungkas