Indonesian vice president travels to Jeddah for overseas voting preparations

• Saudi Arabia is the second-largest host of Indonesian nationals abroad, after Malaysia.
• The election will select the country’s new president, vice president, and executive and legislative representatives.
• The election is scheduled for Feb. 9 in Riyadh and Feb. 10 in Jeddah and Abu Dhabi.

On Wednesday, Vice President Ma’ruf Amin visited the Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah as part of his trip to the Middle East to oversee voting preparations for the Indonesian elections on Feb. 14. Hundreds of thousands of Indonesians work and live in the Kingdom, making it the second-largest host of Indonesian nationals abroad, just after Malaysia. Saudi Arabia is home to one of the largest contingents of the Indonesian diaspora worldwide.

“The vice president wanted to do a short trip to Saudi Arabia for Umrah and also for a working visit to the Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah to oversee their preparations ahead of the elections,” Masduki Baidlowi, spokesperson to the vice president, told the News.

“This is important because Saudi Arabia is the second-largest home of Indonesians abroad.”

During his trip earlier this week, Amin attended a ceremony for the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity in the UAE, which this year recognized Indonesia’s top Islamic organizations Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah. He visited the Indonesian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, where he called for a peaceful election.

“This election should be a peaceful election, a happy election,” Amin said. “We may have different choices, but let this not divide, separate our nation.”

In the world’s biggest single-day election, Indonesians will choose the country’s new president and vice president, as well as executive and legislative representatives at the national, provincial, and regency levels.

The election authorities have scheduled Indonesians abroad to vote earlier, with the election set for Feb. 9 in Riyadh and Feb. 10 in Jeddah and Abu Dhabi.

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