Indonesia Highlights: Bali Calls for Rescheduling of 2024 Indonesian General Elections | Over 7,000 Indonesian Migrant Workers in Malaysia Waiting for Repatriation | Indonesia's 2022 World Cup Qualify

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Bali has called for a rescheduling of the 2024 General Elections, as the race falls on February 28, the same day as the Hindu holiday of Galungan.

Indonesia is attempting to repatriate more than 7000 migrant workers from Malaysia, as Kuala Lumpur is contending with a surge of the Covid-19 pandemic.

And Indonesian soccer buffs have to keep dreaming on when it comes to seeing the country on the World Cup, after Vietnam emphatically beat the Indonesian squad 4-0 to knock them out of contention to appear on the sport’s biggest stage.

This and more on Indonesia Highlights:

KOMPAS.com/Ach. Fawaidi KPU Bali Branch head I Dewa Agung Gede LIdartawan

Bali Calls for Rescheduling of 2024 Indonesian General Elections

The General Election Commission or KPU branch for the Indonesian province of Bali voiced reservations about the scheduling of the 2024 Presidential Elections, as the race coincides with Galungan, a major Balinese Hindu holiday in the resort island.

“The 2024 election falls on February 28, the same day as Galungan. We urge the government, the KPU’s Central Office and Parliament to reschedule the election before it turns into a fiasco in Bali,” said KPU head for Bali I Dewa Agung Gede Lidartawan to Kompas.com on Monday.

“For many Hindus in Bali, Galungan is just like Eid al Fitr or Idul Fitri for Muslims or Christmas for Christians, so to hold election day on that occasion will result in very low voter turnout. Likewise nobody will want to organize the election.”

Lidartawan added that his office offered “to move the elections forward by two weeks from February 28 to February 14, 2024. February 14 is Valentine’s Day, so it is easily recognized by the public.”

The government, Parliament’s Commission II on Domestic Governance, Regional Autonomy, State Apparatus and Agrarian Affairs and the KPU have agreed to hold the Presidential and Legislation Elections on February 28, 2024, before the KPU’s Bali branch raised its objections.

Source:

https://go.kompas.com/read/2021/06/08/023638474/bali-calls-for-rescheduling-of-2024-indonesian-general-elections. 

KOMPAS.COM/ASIP HASANI Head of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency (BP2MI) Benny Rhamdani.

Over 7,000 Indonesian Migrant Workers in Malaysia Waiting for Repatriation

Head of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Protection Agency (BP2MI) Benny Rhamdani said his office had proposed to the Indonesian House of Representatives to bring home a total of 7,300 Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia by ship.

"I brought up the issue during a meeting with the parliamentarians that they [Indonesian migrant workers] should be brought home from Malaysia. They are our citizens that we need to protect," said Benny.