The Respondent’s witness Netius Wonda giving testimony at an evidentiary hearing for the 2024 legislative election results dispute of Papua Pegunungan Province, Friday (5/31/2024). Photo by MKRI/Ifa.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) — The Constitutional Court (MK) held an evidentiary hearing for the 2024 DPRD (House of Representatives) election results dispute for the electoral district of Papua Pegunungan 4 filed by PAN (National Mandate Party) for case No. 221-01-12-37/PHPU.DPR-DPRD-XXII/2024. The agenda of the session on Friday evening, May 27, 2024 was to hear testimonies by experts and witnesses. The Tolikara Regency KPU chairperson Netius Wonda said that PAN’s 5,429 votes were returned to Gerindra (Great Movement Party).

“Based on the photographed C-result copies, 5,429 votes were returned to Gerindra,” said Wonda as the Respondent’s (General Elections Commission/KPU) witness before panel 1 justices in the plenary courtroom of the Constitutional Court.

Wonda explained that Gerindra had submitted the photographed C-result copies from 24 polling stations in Geya District to the KPU. Based on the C-result copies shown directly, 5,429 votes were returned to Gerindra. Meanwhile, he added, PAN never raised any objection.

What he said was confirmed by the Petitioner’s witness, Derek Ferdinand Marisan, who was also PAN’s mandate witness at the district and provincial levels. According to him, between the time the plenary session was suspended, there were changes in PAN’s vote acquisition.

“So, PAN’s votes that were previously read out in Wamena at the Tongkonan building as 5,429 votes became zero, Your Honors,” Marisan said.

He explained that the unilateral transfer of PAN’s votes had occurred on March 11 during the plenary district-level recapitulation at Horison Hotel in Raja City. When the plenary district-level recapitulation moved to Fox Hotel in Jayapura City, the chair of the Geya PPD (district election committee) was kicked out of the premises. “The PPD conveyed input but was not allowed by the KPU commissioners,” he said.

Objections to the loss of PAN’s votes in Geya District was then submitted at the plenary provincial-level recapitulation at Grand Alison Sentani, Jayapura Regency. However, the objections could only be conveyed verbally because at that time PAN’s witness did not fill out the objection form because the KPU was also pursuing the completion of the provincial-level recapitulation.

Geya PPD member Eman Lambe even revealed he had received threats from the Geya District community because of the loss of votes. His house was burned down by citizens. 

“Because my house was burned down, my family moved to another place. We are not safe anymore. Only if the votes were returned, would we be safe in Geya,” said Lambe.

Bawaslu (Elections Supervisory Body) member Linda Wanimbo said her office received reports from the Petitioner. Tolikara Regency Bawaslu sent a letter, but the Tolikara Regency KPU never responded. The KPU also ignored Bawaslu’s Zoom meeting invitation, and Bawaslu was not invited to determine the recapitulation results.

“We told the KPU that if they want to certify [election results], please invite witnesses and Bawaslu, but they did not invite us and they announce their certification [of the election results],” said Linda.

Also read:

Failed to Secure DPRD Seat for Papua Pegunungan Dapil 4, PAN Goes to Court

KPU States Tolikara Bawaslu Never Submitted Recommendations for Geya District Recapitulation

In its petition, the Petitioner disputed the reduction of its votes, which led to its failure to get one of the eight seats contested for the Papua Pegunungan DPRD election in electoral district 4. It alleged it should have obtained 16,391 votes, but in Geya District its votes were reduced by 4,319, so the votes were determined to be 12,072 votes at the district/city plenary session. With the reduction in valid votes, PAN failed to get the fifth seat out of eight seats contested in Papua Pegunungan 4.

Author              : Mimi Kartika
Editor                : Lulu Anjarsari P.
PR                    : Fauzan Febriyan
Translator         : M. Ariva Aswin Bahar/Yuniar W.

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.

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