Ramelan, the Petitioners’ legal counsel, at the preliminary hearing of the Southwest Sumba regent election results dispute, Tuesday (1/14/2025). Photo by MKRI/Bayu.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) — Regent Candidate Pair 2 Fransiskus Marthin Adilalo-Jeremia Tanggu requested the Court to annul the Southwest Sumba KPU (Elections Commission) decree on the certification of the regent election results dispute. They alleged Candidate Pair 1 Ratu Ngadu Bonnu Wulla-Dominikus Alphawan Rangga Kaka (Relevant Party) to have benefited from having family ties with former regents of Southwest Sumba.

The preliminary hearing for Case No. 177/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 was presided over by Constitutional Justices Arief Hidayat (panel chair), Anwar Usman, and Enny Nurbaningsih on panel 3 on Tuesday, January 14, 2025. The petition notes that Regent Candidate 1 Ratu Ngadu Bonnu Wulla is known to be the wife of the 2013-2018 regent of Southwest Sumba. At the same time, the Vice Regent Candidate is the son for a former regent of the 2008-2013 and 2019-2024 terms.

“There have been structured, systematic, and massive (TSM) [violations], and we cannot ignore the background of Regent Candidate 1 Mrs. Ratu, as the wife of a former regent,” said the Petitioners’ legal counsel Ramelan.

“Even though the person isn’t an incumbent, we believe that one can’t deny [she] has strong influence [in the region],” he continued.

The familial ties are considered influential in mobilizing state civil apparatus (ASN) in the local government to support Candidate Pair 1. This is shown by an ASN group chat created to pool contributions to Ratu Ngadu Bonnu Wulla and Dominikus Alphawan Rangga Kaka.

There was also an alleged mobilization of district heads of Tambolaka, Central Wewewa, West Wewewa, South Wewewa, North Kodi, and Kodi to sort resident ID cards according to their political affiliations. In this case, the ID cards of the supporters of Candidate Pair 2 were withheld.

“The partiality in these districts is related to the marking in the distribution of ID cards to the people. Well, this is also connected to the fact that the Southwest Sumba KPU did not disseminate or follow up on the KPU Statement Letter No. 2734. So, for example, in the additional evidence that we submitted, many people did not have ID cards so they could not vote,” said Ramelan.

He continued that there were also allegations of intimidation by the head of the KPPS (KPPS (polling station working committee) at TPS 1 of Werilolo Village, South Wewewa District. The head of the KPPS asked the mandate witnesses not to bring mobile phones to the polling stations. If they had, they would have been removed from the premises on the pretext of election regulations.

“The mandate witnesses objected, but it was ignored. The head of the KPPS even stated, ‘Don’t interfere with us. If you don’t accept it, just leave,’ and ordered the security and security officers to drag the mandate witnesses out,” said Ramelan.

In their petitums, the Petitioners asked the Constitutional Court to annul the Southwest Sumba KPU Decree No. 475 of 2024 on the certification of the 2024 regent election results dated December 5, 2024. They also requested the Court to order the KPU to carry out a revote within 60 days after the Court’s decision.

Author            : Nawir Arsyad Akbar
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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