Ahmad Hafiz (left) as the Petitioner’s Legal Counsel at the preliminary hearing of Case Number 79/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 concerning the Takalar Regency Election Results Dispute of on Friday (1/10/2025) in Panel 3 Courtroom. Photo by MKRI/Bayu

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JAKARTA, (MKRI) - Takalar Regent and Vice Regent Candidate Number pair number 2 Syamsari-M Natsir Ibrahim questioned the General Election Commission (KPU) of Takalar Regency of conducting an administrative defect in 2024 Takalar Regent Election with petition case number 79/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 regarding the change in the elected regent candidate name.

The preliminary hearing conducted by Panel 3 presided over by Constitutional Justice Arief Hidayat, accompanied by Constitutional Justices Enny Nurbaningsih and Ridwan Mansyur. The Takalar Regency Election was followed by two pairs of candidates, namely Mohammad Firdaus Daeng Manye-Hengky Yasin  who won 111,290 votes and Syamsari-M Natsir Ibrahim who received 45,977 votes.
 

Ahmad Hafiz as the Petitioner’s legal counsel explained that Mohammad Firdaus Daeng Manye, who previously named Mohammad Firdaus, filed a name change petition to the Takalar District Court (PN) on July 17, 2024. The petition was granted on August 9, 2024, with a change of name to “Muhammad Firdaus Daeng Manye” based on the Stipulation of the Takalar District Court Number 26/Pdt.P/2024/PNTka stating, “ [the court] giving permission to the Petitioner to change or add the Petitioner's name from “Muhammad Firdaus” to “Muhammad Firdaus Daeng Manye”.

After the issuance of the decree, the Regent Candidate Number 1 applied for a new identity card (KTP) at the Takalar Regency Population and Civil Registry Office (Dukcapil) under the name “Mohammad Firdaus Daeng Manye”, not “Muhammad Firdaus Daeng Manye” as decree by the Takalar District Court.

That new release ID card is then attached as the nomination requirement document in the Takalar Regency Election. The Takalar Regency KPU as the Respondent is considered not to conduct the verification duties in a professional, orderly, open and accountable manner as regulated in KPU Regulation Number 8 of 2024.

The petitioner argues that there is a mistake in the name writing starting from the written nomination approval letter from the supporting political party, the Takalar Regency KPU Decree regarding the certification of Regent pair candidate, to the ballot papers. All three inscribing the name “‘Mohammad Firdaus Daeng Manye”, not “Muhammad Firdaus Daeng Manye” as decree by the Takalar District Court.

“This means that [the nomination approval letter, the Regency KPU Decree, the ballot paper] is not in accordance with the decree from the Takalar District Court. Secondly, inthe NPWP and the last diploma which according to our investigation conducted on the Data Centre of Higher Education, candidate number 1 under the name ‘Mohammad Firdaus’ is in the stage of resignation from the University of Muhammadiyah Malang,” argue Ahmad in Panel 3, Courtroom, Jakarta, Friday evening, January 10, 2025.

According to The Petitioner’s legal counsel, the many differences in the inscription of the name of regent candidate number 1 prove that the Takalar Regency KPU has been negligent and unprofessional. “Yes, Your Honour, (disputing) the consistency of names,” Ahmad stated.

Involvement of ASN and Village Officials

In addition to the name change, the Petitioner also argued to the involvement of the state civil apparatus (ASN) and village officials in the winning of candidate pair number 1. Some of the discover photo evidence show ASN attending the Mohammad Firdaus Daeng Manye-Hengky Yasin grand campaign on November 23, 2024.

The petitioner also discovered the non-neutrality of ASN and village officials in the Takalar Regency Election. One of the non-neutrality was discover in Mangngarabombang Sub-district, where Mohammad Firdaus Daeng Manye held a meeting at the house of the Tope Jawa Village Head, which was attended by the Mangngarabombang Sub-district Head and the Head of Topejawa Lama Hamlet. Non-neutrality action was also conducted by the ASN in the Education Office, the Environment and Land Office (DLHP), and the Youth and Sports Office within the Takalar Regency government.

“From the action of un-netrality from the State Civil Aparatus (ASN) of the Education Office,conduct in one of the domino competitions organised by candidate 01 at Ngai Cafe. The ASN alleged in violation is named Arifudin Rajab, who opened the competition with evidence P-13 and have been reported to Bawaslu,” said Ahmad.

In its petitium, the Petitioner requested the Court to cancel the Decree of the Takalar Regency KPU Number 728 of 2024 concerning the Certification of the 2024 Election Results of Regent and Deputy Regent of Takalar Regency signed on December 4, 2024; disqualify the candidate pair of Takalar Regency number 1, Mohammad Firdaus Daeng Manye-Hengky Yasin.

“[ The Court to] Decide the regent and deputy regent candidate pair number 2 on behalf of Syamsari-M Natsir Ibrahim as the elected regent and deputy regent for the period 2024-2029,” stated Ahmad.(*)

Author : Nawir Arsyad Akbar
Editor : Lulu Anjarsari P.
PR : Tiara Agustina
Translators: Dinita Aktivia / FS (RA)

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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