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North Maluku election commission commissioner Syahrani Somadayo delivered testimony in further session of South Halmahera election dispute, on Wednesday (11/2) in Plenary Room, the Constitutional Court Building. Photo PR/Ifa

 

 

 

North Maluku election commission reports regional election recount result of eight polling stations in Bacan district (kecamatan). The election commission conduct Constitutional Court’s mandate as stated in interlocutory decision (putusan sela) of South Halmahera election dispute which declared on last Friday (22/1).

The election commission declared the result of two polling stations in Amasing Kali village, two polling station in West Amasing Kota village, one polling station in Hidayat village, and three polling stations in Labuha village, in Wednesday’s (10/2) session. The election commission conducted the recount from Monday January 25, 2016 at 14.00 East Indonesian Time (WIT) until Tuesday January 26, 2016 at 05.00. Witnesses of four participating candidate pairs and representatives of the General Election Commission (KPU RI), the Election Monitoring Body (Bawaslu RI), North Maluku election monitoring body, and South Halmahera election monitoring committee attended the recount. North Maluku local police also monitored recount process.   

The election commission’s attorney Ali Nurdin explained the commission didn’t conduct recount in other 20 polling stations in Bacan district because the recapitulation documents weren’t found inside six ballot boxes that opened in previous plenary session. The boxes were contained as followed; two boxes contained ballots, two boxes contained DA1 KWK, DAA-KWK and C1 forms, one box contained padlock and key, and one other boxes contained plano documents.

Regarding the lost documents, the election commission had contacted South Halmahera election commission’s secretary Rustam Salmon and former Bacan district election committee member Yusuf Tapitapi. However, Ali added, both said that there were no ballot box left in South Halmahera election commission secretariat and Bacan district election committee secretariat.

“Considering the input from North Maluku election monitoring body, Plenary Meeting decides the lost ballot documents referred are still a part of report addressed to the Constitutional Court,” said Ali in panel session room 1, on Wednesday (11/2).  

Meanwhile, North Maluku election monitoring body staff Muksin Amin confirmed that the election monitoring body only found two boxes contained ballots and four boxes contained other documents. Amin explained the monitoring body had asked for testimony to Yusuf Tapitapi in February 7, 2016. According to Yusuf’s testimony, ballot boxes of 28 polling stations that stored in Bacan district election committee were moved to special school’s building in front of South Halmahera election commission where plenary meeting conducted in December 13 and 14, 2015.

Muksin said that only three boxes returned to South Halmahera election commission after plenary meeting conducted; two boxes contained ballots and one box contained other documents. “The concerned (Bacan district election committee member Yusuf Tapitapi, ed.) didn’t know whether the two boxes contained entire ballot. He also didn’t move the other boxes to the election commission office. The other boxes were left in special school’s building with no security,” said Muksin.  

Responding Muksin’s testimony, Constitutional Justice I Dewa Gede Palguna confirmed the lost of ballot boxes to Ternate chief police Kamal Bahtiar who represented North Maluku police in the session. Kamal claimed he wasn’t in charge of South Halmahera. “The ballot boxes were founded in South Halmahera regency, while our coverage was limited to Ternate regency only,” he explained.

The recount result of eight polling stations was as followed; candidate pair number 1 got 1,230 votes, candidate pair number 2 got 458 votes, candidate pair number 3 got 318 votes, and candidate pair number 4 got 924 votes.

Previously, South Halmahera candidate pair number 4 Kasuba-Hasjim argued their votes reduced and transferred to candidate pair number 1 Ahmad-Lamusu’s votes. The Applicant claimed they supposed to get 43,144 votes and the Related Party only got 40,893 votes, but the fraud occurred in Bacan district resulted on vote result changing. (Arif Satriantoro/lul/Prasetyo Adi N)

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