The Respondent’s witness Azhar Hasibuan at a ruling hearing for the 2024 legislative election results dispute of Riau Province, Tuesday (5/28/2024). Photo by MKRI/Ifa.
JAKARTA (MKRI) — The Party of Functional Groups (Golkar) as the Petitioner for case No. 247-01-04-04/PHPU.DPR-DPRD-XXII/2024 for the 2024 legislative election results dispute, presented an expert from the Faculty of Law of As-Syafiiyah Islamic University, Heru Widodo. According to Heru, the mobilization of voters outside the DPT (Final Voters List) that occurred before 12.00 WIB in the Riau Provincial DPRD (Regional Legislative Council) election and the electoral district of Rokan Hulu 3 included violations of voting procedures.
“The provision of flexibility to DPK (special voters list) voters to vote before 12 o'clock is procedurally a violation of voting procedures, while in substance it can be said to be an action that can provide improper treatment to voters in the DPK,” said Heru in the plenary courtroom, on Tuesday, May 28, 2024.
Heru explained that according to the rules, it is allowed to provide opportunities to voters outside the DPT and DPTb (additional final voters list), as long as there are still remaining ballots. However, allowing DPK voters to vote before 12:00 local time could potentially allow more DPK voters to vote in the polling station (TPS). Especially if the voting of voters with DPK is not made an attendance list at the TPS.
In fact, there was a mobilization of PT Torganda Plantation employees who were not registered in the DPT to vote at TPSs scattered in North Tambusai Village for the benefit of certain candidates, namely legislative candidate number 5 from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). Mobilization was carried out in collaboration with the KPPS (polling station working committee) who accepted them to vote using Resident ID cards through DPK, which reached a large number. There were even TPSs with more voters in the DPK than voters in the DPT and DPTb.
While at the other side, there are many voters in the DPT who are not given invitations to vote or C Voting Notification Form to reach 72% in many TPS located in North Tambusai Village. This led to low voter attendance in the 31 TPS located in the PT Torganda Plantation area. According to Heru, only 2,086 voters were present to use their voting rights, which was far from the total DPT of 7,462 people.
Heru said that there were 5,376 voters or 72% of voters did not attend the TPS for two reasons. First, because they did not receive an invitation to vote from the KPPS and second because of the distance between the voter's house and the TPS location. Thus, according to Heru, if compared to the number of voters who have not used their voting rights because they were not given an invitation to vote by the KPPS, it significantly affects the acquisition of the sixth seat or the last seat of the Provincial DPRD in the electoral district of Riau 3.
“The low voter participation, which was only attended by 28% of voters in the DPT, still does not indicate a full vote, so it could not be used to determine the winner of the election. This is because there were still 72% of voters who had not been given the opportunity to use their voting rights. Thus, the Petitioner's petition still meets the significant elements to challenge the election results,” Heru explained.
Heru concluded that in this case there were two losses, which were losses for voters in the DPT who did not use their voting rights and losses for Golkar which might be able to outperform the PDIP vote to win the last seat of the Provincial DPRD in the electoral district of Riau 3.
“With consideration that the right to vote of voters in the DPT who have not received an invitation to vote can be restored, and the vote acquisition due to voter mobilization can be refined, then in my opinion, there are sufficient reasons for granting the request for re-voting at TPSs that can be proven to have occurred violations,” said Heru.
In the hearing, Golkar also presented several witnesses who explained about the low number of voters in a number of TPS in North Tambusai Village. One of them is Nurma Yanti, who said that the low voter participation at TPS 31 in North Tambusai Village, North Tambusai Subdistrict was due to voters who did not receive an invitation C Notification Form based on C1 Form.
Meanwhile, Hendri Suari, the other Petitioner Witness, explained that voters who were no longer domiciled at TPS 58 used their voting rights by individuals who were suspected as the KPPS for the purpose of winning the PDI-P candidate for the Rokan Hulu Regency DPRD Election in Rokan Hulu 3.
Also read:
PT Torganda Voter Mobilization Wins Candidate, Golkar Says
KPU Denies Influencing Voters from PT Torganda
In its petition, Golkar argued that there was voter mobilization by PT Torganda personnel to their employees for winning one of the candidates for Rokan Hulu Regency DPRD candidate in the electoral district of Rokan Hulu 3, number 5 named Roni Marusaha Damanik from PDIP. The mobilization was allegedly carried out by the GM of PT Torganda named Jon Sabar Manik, who is the father of candidate Roni. Mobilization was carried out to voters using Resident ID cards outside Riau Province and Rokan Hulu Regency, as well as some voters who used electronic Resident ID cards were included in the DPT at other TPS outside the plantation area owned by PT Torganda, North Tambusai Village.
It also requests that the Court order KPU to hold revote in:
a. The electoral district of Riau 3 for Riau Provincial DPRD election at TPS 10-43 and 45-47 of North Tambusai Village and TPS 32, 52, 53, and 58 in Mahato Village of North Tambusai Subdistrict, Rokan Hulu Regency, Riau Province,
b. The electoral district of Rokan Hulu 3 for the Rokan Hulu Regency DPRD at TPS 10, 11, 14-34, and 40-47 of North Tambusai Village in North Tambusai Subdistrict, Rokan Hulu Regency, Riau Province and TPS 32, 52, 53, and 58 of Mahato Village; and
c. The electoral district of Rokan Hulu 5 for the Rokan Hulu Regency DPRD election at TPS 25 and 32 of Ujung Batu Village in Ujung Batu Subdistrict, Rokan Hulu Regency, Riau Province, in accordance with laws and regulations within 14 working days of the decision.
However, the Court issued an excerpt of its decision last week. Before handing down the final decision, the Court stated that the Petitioner's petition in relation to the vote acquisition of the Rokan Hulu Regency DPRD candidate for Rokan Hulu District 5 could not be accepted. Meanwhile, the petition in relation to the vote acquisition of candidates for Riau Provincial DPRD electoral district of Riau 3 and DPRD Rokan Hulu Regency electoral district of Rokan Hulu 3, which is also contained in the a quo petition, will be continued in the evidentiary hearing.
Author : Mimi Kartika
Editor : Lulu Anjarsari P.
Translator : Putri Ratnasari/Fuad Subhan
Disclaimer: The original version of the news is in Indonesian. In case of any differences between the English and the Indonesian versions, the Indonesian version will prevail.
Tuesday, May 28, 2024 | 12:45 WIB 86