Jayapura, Jubi – Theodorus Kossay, the Chairman of the General Election Commission (KPU) for Mountainous Papua Province, revealed the challenges faced by the institution in recruiting 49,950 polling station officers (KPPS) for the 2024 general elections.
“As of now, the KPU in eight districts in the Mountainous Papua Province is still struggling to recruit residents to become these officers,” said Theodorus Kossay in Jayapura, Papua, on Tuesday (9/1/2024).
The stated number of KPPS officers will be assigned to 5,850 polling stations (TPS), with seven KPPS officers per TPS. These polling stations are distributed across eight districts in the province.
He explained that the recruitment of KPPS officers is ongoing, with certain requirements that have been specified. For instance, the educational diploma requirement has been lowered from high school graduates to junior high school graduates, and there is even a possibility of further relaxation if the initial criteria are not met.
In addition, Theodorus mentioned that prospective KPPS applicants are also struggling to obtain health certificates due to limited healthcare facilities.
“In some areas, there are no healthcare personnel available,” he added.
Theodorus Kossay hopes that by lowering certain requirements for KPPS officers, the number of applicants will meet the quota or target. “We hope that the number of KPPS officers who will be on duty during the voting process meets the target, at least half of what is needed (seven people at each TPS),” said Theodorus.
The Mountainous Papua Province is a newly autonomous region that includes the districts of Jayawijaya (the capital), Lanny Jaya, Tolikara, Nduga, Yalimo, Mamberamo Tengah, Yahukimo, and Pegunungan Bintang. (*)
