Informasi, Kebudayaan &
Pendidikan

Press Release

  Tahun 2009

Informasi Beasiswa & Pendidikan

Pusat Informasi, Pendidikan dan
      Kebudayaan

Jakarta, 1 April 2009
Grant Assistance for the 2009 General Election and the Presidential Election

[Bahasa Indonesia]

1. The Government of Japan has decided to provide grant assistance for the 2009 General election (the House of Representative/DPR, the Regional Representative Council/DPD, the Regional House of Representatives/DPRD in Province and District/Municipality) and the Presidential election in Indonesia, totaling 39,303,000,000 rupiah (3,338,190 US dollars). The assistance will be financed through utilization of the Counterpart Fund of the Japanese Non-Project Grant Aid. .


2. Background and outline of the assistance are as follows:

（１） The General Election and the Presidential Election in Indonesia are scheduled in April and July this year. Out of 170 million voters, approximately 30 percent are first-time voters, who may not have enough knowledge on the electoral system and voting procedures. Moreover, women and socially disadvantaged groups (e.g. impoverished people, slum dwellers, prisoners and physically and mentally handicapped people), who account for a large part of the electorate, are also suffering insufficient access to electoral information.
（２） This assistance aims at enhancing awareness among first-time voters, women and socially disadvantaged groups of importance of the election itself as well as newly introduced procedures to the election, through TV Public Service Announcement, distribution of banners and other means.　It could also contribute to enhancement of turnout rates of voters.

3. The Government of Japan wishes that this assistance will help promote democratization in Indonesia, and will contribute to creation of fair and democratic society.