---

Thursday, April 8, 2021 | 09:24 WIB

Ruri Hariri Roesman testifying on behalf of the Ministry of Law and Human Right’s Directorate General of Immigration at the fourth hearing for the 2020 Sabu Raijua regent election, Wednesday (7/4/2021) in the Courtroom of the Constitutional Court. Photo by Humas MK/Ifa. 

JAKARTA, Public Relations—The Constitutional Court (MK) held another hearing for the 2020 Sabu Raijua Regency election dispute case on Wednesday, April 7, 2021 in the plenary courtroom. The Court heard the testimonies of the Ministry of Law and Human Right’s Directorate General of Immigration, the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Regional Office, the Class 1 Immigration Office of Kupang, and the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Directorate General of Population and Civil Registry Office, as well as the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) in Los Angeles.

The Court heard three cases at once: No. 133/PHP.BUP-XIX/2021 filed by Candidate Pair No. 1 Nikodemus N. Rihi Heke-Yuhanis Ulu Kale, No. 134/PHP.BUP-XIX/2021 filed by Herman Lawe Hiku, Marthen Radja, and the Civil Alliance for Sabu Raijua’s Democracy (AMPEDO), and No. 135/PHP.BUP-XIX/2021 filed by Candidate Pair No. 3 Taken Irianto Radja Pono-Herman Hegi Rdja Haba.

Also read:

Is the Elected Regent of Sabu Raijua a US Citizen?

Civil Alliance for Sabu Raijua’s Democracy Challenges Regent Election Results

Orient P. Riwu Denies Giving Up His Indonesian Citizen Status

KPU of Sabu Raijua Reveals Elected Regent’s Nationality

Expert: Only Indonesian can be Regent Candidate

The Regent-Elect is Foreign National, The Democratic Process is Violated

Experts Talk Citizenship Status of Regent Candidate

On behalf of the Ministry of Law and Human Right’s Directorate General of Immigration, Ruri Hariri Roesman testified that Orient Patriot Rewu Kore entered Indonesia by an Indonesian passport valid from April 1, 2019 to April 1, 2024. Based on records of the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Kore entered Indonesia on July 16, 2020 with a passport issued by the South Jakarta Immigration Office. The head of the Immigration Status Review of the Directorate General of Immigration said that the passport was obtained based on travel documents in lieu of passports (SPLP) issued by the KJRI in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, he said he had no knowledge of Kore’s US passport, which is still valid until 2027. “Given that the person in question hasn’t used the [US passport] for crossing borders, any use of passport aside from his Indonesian one is not known,” he said virtually from the office of the Ministry of Law and Human Right’s Directorate General of Immigration.

Not the Case’s Locust

Meanwhile, the head of the Class 1 Immigration Office of Kupang Darwanto testified that the locust of the case concerning Kore’s arrival wasn’t under the jurisdiction of the immigration office of Kupang, but that of Jakarta since Kore went back to Sabu Raijua to run as a regent in the 2020 election. Darwanto said that Kore is a native of Sabu Raijua whose relatives are based in Kupang. He said the immigration office of Kupang had no authority to comment on Kore’s renouncement of Indonesian citizenship because no such report were made to the office.

“There was no suspicion because his records of border crossing are with the Jakarta [immigration office] and there were no reports to the Kupang immigration office,” he said virtually from Kupang.

Darwanto also confirmed that the Kupang immigration office had sent letters to the Sabu Raijua Regency Bawaslu (Elections Supervisory Body) dated September 10, 2020 and September 15, 2020, which clarified Kore’s citizenship. He believes that a person is declared an Indonesian national when they own a resident ID card (KTP) and family card (KK).

“In addition, we know his relatives. However, this citizenship issue was discussed on social media, so we sent the second letter to clarify. The result of this coordination was that the issue would be forwarded to the NTT Regional Office who has authority on it,” Darwanto explained.

At the preliminary hearing, the Petitioner requested that the Court nullify the Sabu Raijua Regency KPU Decree No. 25/HK.03.1-Kpt/5320/KPU-Kab/I/2020 on the Certification of the 2020 Sabu Raijua Regent-Vice Regent dated December 16, 2020 as the regency’s Bawaslu (Elections Supervisory Body) had discovered that regent candidate Orient Patriot Rewu Kore was a US citizen. They requested that the Constitutional Court decides the legal certainty of the issue.

The Petitioner strongly objected to the Sabu Raijua Regency KPU’s (Respondent) decision because Bawaslu had found that the candidate pair in question didn’t meet the requirements asked of the regent-vice regent candidate pairs. They believe it violated Article 10 paragraph (1) of Law No. 30 of 2014 on Government Administration. The legal fact prompted them to request in the petitum that the Court declare Candidate Pair No. 2 illegitimate for having violated the KPU Decree No. 1 of 2020 Article 1 Point 18 and declare the Petitioner the election winner and/or order a revote. 

Writer: Sri Pujianti 
Editor: Nur Rosikin

Translator: Yuniar Widiastuti
Editor: R.A. Indah Apriyanti

Translation uploaded on 4/8/2021 20:41 WIB

Disclaimer: The original version of the news is in Indonesian. In case of any differences between the English and the Indonesian version, the Indonesian version will prevail.

---