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Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail Yahoo! Search Search: Sign InNew User? Sign Up News Home - Help Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Australia China India Indonesia Japan Malaysia Philippines Thailand Vietnam Search Search: Indonesia turns to sex workers to boost election AFP - Sunday, April 5 JAKARTA (AFP) - - With Indonesia lurching uncertainly towards national legislative elections next week, the shabby beer bars and brothels of Rawa Malang may seem like an unlikely spot for a bit of civic engagement. ADVERTISEMENT Sitting in a dust-blasted corner of town near Jakarta's port, the area is a warren of dens ringed by shipping containers, a mountain of rubbish and empty lots. But with concerns mounting in the world's third-largest democracy over shambolic polling preparations and voter apathy, the sex workers here are a novel tool in efforts to get citizens to vote, and vote correctly. Trained by election officials, around 50 sex workers have been armed with stickers and told to reach colleagues and customers alike, local elections commission education head Marlina Ismail told AFP. "It's the same as with housewives, for example. It's more effective to reach them than the men because they automatically convey the message to their families," Ismail said. "If we reach sex workers with a lot of customers we hope they can tell their customers about the election, especially how to vote," she said. The efforts are all part of the challenge of pulling off a massive election on April 9 that will see around 170 million voters choosing from thousands of candidates from over 38 parties for local and national parliaments. The outcome will decide who out of Indonesia's multitude of presidential hopefuls has a realistic shot at the presidency, currently held by liberal former general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. However, problems with the election are manifold. Voter lists in some areas have been found to be stuffed with hundreds of thousands of ineligible voters -- babies, the dead and the fictitious -- while many areas are yet to receive ballot papers. There are also concerns that a new method for voting, coupled with disaffection with the endurance of corruption and poverty in the decade of democracy since dictator Suharto's 1998 fall, could see a rise in the number of people boycotting the election or voting incorrectly. A recent survey found as many as 35 to 40 percent of voters could opt not to vote or cast invalid ballots. While this number is still lower than many developed democracies like the United States, any room for dispute could be a trigger for unrest in Indonesia. But dutifully lining up to vote is an entrenched habit from the old dictatorship, political analyst Mohammad Qodari said. "The biggest problem could be the distribution of ballot papers and conflict among contenders after the result," Qodari said. "It's going to be a national brawl." With such concerns, reaching voters on the margins of society -- who are likely to get voting wrong -- is a key target of authorities' public education efforts, local election official Zainal Khutbah told AFP. And for the marginalised, Rawa Malang fits the bill. Truck drivers and workers from the nearby port make up much of the customer base, although the odd wealthy government official can turn up. The cracked road into the area runs between rows of stilt-house slums that hang low over two gelatinous green-black waterways. "This is not a high-class place," joked Khutbah. Only a handful of brothel areas like this have been reached, but at Rawa Malang at least the message has caught on. "Everyone working here plans to vote. We have to do it," said Ani, a 28-year-old who moved here from the Javanese countryside a year ago. "I've spoken with customers about this, I'm not sure how many... Mostly, the customers already know how to vote," she said. Her colleague Ati, 25, however, conceded not all customers were so attentive to her political entreaties. "If there are any drunks, you can't get them to communicate," she said. Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Recommend this article 0 users recommend Sign in to recommend this article » Most Recommended Stories » Related Articles: Indonesia Indonesia turns to sex workers to boost electionAFP - Sunday, April 5 Strong 6.1 quake hits Indonesia: seismologistsAFP - Thursday, April 2 Strong earthquake hits Papua New Guinea coastAFP - Wednesday, April 1 Indonesia's singing serial killer eyes pop stardomAFP - Wednesday, April 1 Related Articles: Asia Pacific NKorea says satellite launch was successAP - 1 hour 11 minutes ago US, Japan lead condemnation of NKorea launchAFP - 1 hour 14 minutes ago Dozens missing as boat capsizes in north IndiaAP - 1 hour 20 minutes ago Philippines considers pullout to save 2 hostagesAP - 1 hour 24 minutes ago Manila rejects Red Cross kidnappers' demandsAFP - 1 hour 35 minutes ago Enlarge Photo Indonesia turns to sex workers to boost election Related Full Coverage Suharto Former Indonesian president All Full Coverage Most Popular – Asia Pacific Viewed Explosives chemical found in US baby formula Journalists get shock with 'sexy' White House call Global warming leaving its mark on polar bears Arctic may be ice-free in 30 years: study Guantanamo 'soooo beautiful!' 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