The Petitioners’ legal counsels Ridwan Syaidi Tarigan (left) and Masyhuri (right) at the preliminary hearing for the Bone Bolango regent election results dispute, Tuesday (1/14/2025). Photo by MKRI/Bayu.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) — Bone Bolango Regent Candidate Pair 1 Merlan S. Uloli and Syamsu T. Botutihe (Petitioners) alleged an administrative violation committed by vice regent candidate Risman Tolingguhu. The violation in question was the submission of a GED diploma whose validity is questionable. The Petitioners believe this to be in violation with Regional Election Law and the KPU (General Elections Commission) Regulation No. 8 of 2024.

“The Respondent has bypassed an administrative procedure, as the validity of Risman Tolinggu’s GED diploma is questionable,” said Ridwan Syaidi Tarigan, the Petitioners’ legal counsel before Constitutional Justice Arief Hidayat (panel chair) and Constitutional Justices Anwar Usman and Enny Nurbaningsih on panel 3 for the preliminary hearing for Case No. 103/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 on Tuesday, January 14, 2025.

According to the Petitioners, the educational data (Dapodik) of the Ministry of Education and Culture listed different graduation dates for Tolingguhu. “Risman Tolingguhu was registered as a student in the Karawo Community Learning Center (PKBM) of Bone Bolango Regency since July 12, 2021 and graduated on July 1, 2024. Yet, a newly-updated data states he graduated on July 13, 2024. Then, a statement letter of the head of Karawo PKBM dated December 1, 2024 states that Risman Tolingguhu had never taken a GED from 2021 to 2024,” Tarigan revealed.

Furthermore, Ridwan brought up the fact that regent candidate Ismet Mile still has an outstanding relief claim (TGR) to the Bone Bolango Regency Government from the time of his term of office according to the audit report of the BPK (Audit Board). “The total debt amounts to 315 million rupiah,” Tarigan said.

Mile has also never disclosed his status as an ex-convict in print or electronic media. Thus, in their petitums, the Petitioners requested the Court to grant their petition in its entirety and to annul the Bone Bolango KPU Decree No. 1545 of 2024 on the certification of the 2024 Bone Bolango regent election results.

Author         : Utami Argawati
Editor          : Lulu Anjarsari P.

PR               : Tiara Agustina
Translator     : M. Hafidh Al Mukmin/Yuniar Widiastuti (NL) (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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