Bishops urge voting conscience - World - Brief Article

National Catholic Reporter, Feb 6, 2004 by Dennis Coday

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- The Bishops Conference of Indonesia has made a nationwide call urging Catholics to vote during national elections this year. Some bishops are supplementing this with individual initiatives. Elections for the national legislature are scheduled for April 5, and the first round of voting for the country's first direct presidential election is set for July 5.

"Every citizen should use his or her right to vote," says a booklet published by the bishops' conference and distributed to every diocese. It suggests establishing special groups to provide electoral information. The booklet presents conclusions from a meeting late last year of bishops and lay people.

Divine Word Bishop Antonius Pain Ratu of Atambua issued a pastoral letter urging Catholics not to be among the golput, an Indonesian term that refers to people who refuse to vote. "We invite all people who meet the electoral requirements ... to participate in the 2004 elections and to use their right to vote," says the letter read in all diocesan churches Jan. 11. It urges Catholics to listen to their conscience and vote for legislative candidates who have a clear conscience.