Weekly Gallery: Viral voting

Wed, December 16, 2020 / 09:04 am

PETA activists dressed as monkey inmates protest outside the Royal Thai Embassy in Jakarta on Dec. 8. The protesters called on Thailand to end the use of monkey labor in the country’s coconut industry. Monkeys, typically fitted with metal collars and chained for life, are often used to harvest coconuts at plantations. JP/Seto Wardhana

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PETA activists dressed as monkey inmates protest outside the Royal Thai Embassy in Jakarta on Dec. 8. The protesters called on Thailand to end the use of monkey labor in the country’s coconut industry. Monkeys, typically fitted with metal collars and chained for life, are often used to harvest coconuts at plantations. JP/Seto Wardhana

Mannequins stand outside of the House of Representatives compound in Central Jakarta on Dec. 8. The protestors who placed them there demanded that the House continue with the deliberation and passage of the sexual violence eradication bill. The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) has reported that violence against women has increased by 75 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic. JP/Wendra Ajistyatama

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A COVID-19 patient (left) casts her ballot as a health officer wearing personal protective gear looks on at a COVID-19 isolation facility that was treating 49 voters in South Tangerang, Banten, on Dec. 9. JP/Dhoni Setiawan

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A poll worker (right) helps a woman put on a plastic glove before she casts her ballot at a polling station in Tapos, Depok, West Java, on Dec. 9. Poll workers enforced strict health protocols on voting day for the Depok mayoral election, requiring voters to wear gloves and face masks, among other precautions. JP/P.J. Leo

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Motorists ride past a mural portraying missing activist and poet Wiji Thukul on Jl. Raya Ciledug, Cipulir, South Jakarta, on Dec. 10, coinciding with the commemoration of International Human Rights Day. JP/Seto Wardhana

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Civil groups place signs outside the Environment and Forestry Ministry building in Jakarta on Dec. 11 to demand that the government commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Experts have urged countries to reduce their emissions further to limit the global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius. JP/Dhoni Setiawan

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Indonesia held the 2020 simultaneous regional elections this week as the country continued to endure the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 100 million voters were eligible to cast their ballots, including in the areas that have seen the highest spikes in cases in recent weeks. Nine governors, 224 regents and 37 mayors will be elected through this year’s elections.

Election organizers dismissed concerns about COVID-19 transmission at polling stations, noting that polling station officials were required to enforce strict health protocols and were equipped with the proper equipment to enforce the protocols. Authorities later claimed that voter compliance with health protocols had been above 90 percent.

Meanwhile, civil groups have amplified their calls for commitments to protecting animal welfare, human rights, the climate and for safety from sexual violence. (kuk)