Election in Dairy Regent took place safely, orderly and under control. That was the explanation from witnesses presented by the Petitionee, Dairy Election Commission, in the trial for dispute over regional election result No. 60/PHPU.D-VI/2008, Tuesday (30/12), in the Court s Panel Room.

This case was filed by Candidate No.4, Drs. Parlemen Sinaga, MM and Dr. Budiman Simanjuntak, MKes who claimed against the victory of candidate No.2 KRA Johnny Sitohang Adinegoro and Irwansyah Pasi, SH, as Regent and Vice Regent of Dairy, South Sumatra due to the violations in the process of the election.

The Petitioner, candidate No. 4, argued that various violations happened were, voters with double Citizenship number, voters with double name, voters without Citizenship Number but casting votes, voters who had passed away whose names were used by other people to vote, money politics conducted by Success Team for Candidate No. 2 as many as 18 people, abuse done by Success Team for Candidate No. 2, 821 people rejecting the result of the election also demanding the Commission to annul and to stop the recapitulation process, voters from outside the region, and additional voters data by including incompetent (underage) voters and not originated from the region.

For the double citizenship number accusation, Jonatan Ginting, Head of Sub-district Election Committee explained that he had never found any of them, “because what we verify is the existence of voters with double name,” he said. This information is similar to the ones given by other Heads of Sub-district Election Committee, Oberlin Hutauruk, Edison Saragih, and Muller Simanulang.

Besides denying the existence of voters with double citizenship numbers, the heads of Sub-district Election Committee also said that there were no objections in the recapitulation process from each witness.

On contrary, a witness from the Petitionee, Reverend Ardin Tobing, confessed that he had once received a gift containing clipping of news and invitation to vote for the Petitionee. “I have reported that incident to the Election Watchers Team. However, there is yet a call from the police,” he confessed.

About the abuse, Benpa Nababan, a witness from the Petitionee who was also accused as the actor in the incident admitted that he had never done such a thing. Benpa, who also held the position as Vice Speaker of Dairy Regional Parliament, admitted that his party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, had their own candidate who did not make it to the second round. (Wiwik Budi Wasito)

Photo: Doc. MK PR/Wiwik BW

Translated by Yogi Djatnika / MK