Heru Widodo as Petitioner’s Attorney delivering the principal points of the petition revision for judicial review of the General Elections Law, Monday (30/4) in the Plenary Courtroom of the Constitutional Court. Photo by Humas MK/Ganie.

A number of people, from active members of the General Elections Commission (KPU), Elections Supervisory Committee (Panwas), and activist from organizations, as well as individual citizens, improved the petition for judicial review of Law No. 7/2017 on General Elections on Monday (30/4) in the Plenary Court Room of the Constitutional Court. 

The Petitioners of case No. 31/PUU-XVI/2018 represented by Heru Widodo as one of the attorneys conveyed the reduction the number of district/municipal KPU members in most areas outside Java Island. According to him, in carrying out its duties, KPU consists of five divisions—general division, finance, logistics, technical, planning and data, legal, as well as human resources and community participation divisions. The reduction lead to injustice in the uneven distribution of duties between the five-member and the three-member KPU. "Whereas, on the other hand, the honorarium of the KPU members for three and five persons are the same," explained Heru Widodo. 

Subsequently, the Petitioners also strengthened the argument on the plenary decision-making meeting in the implementation of simultaneous elections at the district/municipality level with three members. According to the Petitioners, it could potentially lead to deadlocks because the legitimate KPU plenary decision is cumulative in nature, meaning it must be attended and approved by the three members of the KPU. 

Previously, the Petitioners questioned eleven articles in the Elections Law. One of the Petitioners argued that Article 10 paragraph (1) letter c of the Elections Law that stipulates the number of district/municipal KPU members at three or five as well as that of PPK members at three is contrary to the 1945 Constitution. This is because the provision does not take into consideration the diversity of Indonesia\'s geographical nature, especially the Central and Eastern parts of Indonesia, comprising of thousands of islands and mountains with varying levels of access, some electoral regions being weather-dependent, some cannot be reached on land, and some can only be reached on foot. (Sri Pujianti/LA/Yuniar Widiastuti)