Subang Elections Commission Clarifies Discrepancy in Reynaldy's Birth Year

R. Andi Wijaya, the Respondent's legal counsel at the examination hearing on the Subang regent election results dispute, Friday (1/17/2025). Photo by MKRI/Ifa.

JAKARTA (MKRI) — Subang Regency Elections Commission/KPU (Respondent) denied having passed candidates who did not meet the administrative requirements in the 2024 recent election. They expressed their objection to the petition on the 2024 Subang regent election results dispute with Case No. 62/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025.

The examination hearing to hear response from the Respondent, Relevant Party, and Election Supervisory Agency and to validate evidence of the Parties was presided over by Chief Justice Suhartoyo (panel chair) and Constitutional Justices Daniel Yusmic P. Foekh and M. Guntur Hamzah on panel 1 on Friday, January 17, 2025.

The Respondent's legal counsel R. Andi Wijaya explained that the Respondent had attempted to clarify the discrepancy in the years of birth listed on the birth certificate and diploma of Reynaldy Putra Andita Budi—Regent Candidate 2—which had been questioned by Candidate Pair 1 Ruhimat and Aceng Kudus (Petitioners) in the preliminary hearing.

The Subang KPU reached out to Subang 1 High School and confirmed the rectification the year of birth.

"It has been confirmed by Subang 1 Public High School, Your Honors. There was a certificate stating Reynaldy to be a student of Subang 1 Public High School [whose birth year] had been recorded to be 1996 and changed to 1997," Andi stated.

As for the discrepancy of his birth year, the Relevant Party himself insisted that the real date of birth is the one listed in his birth certificate, which is October 30, 1996. The Relevant Party's legal counsel Dede Sunarya claimed the date of birth listed on Reynaldy's diploma had been mistaken. The rectification of his date of birth has been ruled by the Subang District Court.

Dede Sunarya, the Relevant Party's legal counsel, read out the verdict, "[The District Court] hereby ruled that the Petitioner's date of birth in his elementary, junior high, and high school diploma that was previously typed and read 'Jakarta, October 30, 1997' is amended/rectified to be typed and read 'Jakarta, October 30, 1996' as in his birth certificate."

The Subang District Court's verdict was also brought up by the Subang Regency Bawaslu as a Testimony Provider. The panel also attempted to confirm the date of the district court verdict. The Subang Regency Bawaslu confirmed that the verdict had been issued before the 2024 regent election.

"On what was the verdict issued? Before or after the regent election?" asked Chief Justice Suhartoyo.

"Before, Your Honor, on May 16, 2019," Achmad Mansur, Bawaslu's legal counsel replied.

Subang Elections Commission Responds to Vote Buying Allegations

In addition to the issue of year of birth, the Petitioners also accused the Relevant Party of money politics or vote buying in a structured, systematic, and massive (TSM) manner.

The Relevant Party claimed that the vote buying reported to the West Java Provincial Bawaslu and Subang Regency Bawaslu was not actioned upon for the lack of criminal elements.

"There was a clarification with the reporter, the witness, and the reported, after which the Integrated Law Enforcement (Gakkumdu) discontinued the report on the indications of money politics because it didn't meet the elements of election," Dede asserted.

Both the Respondent and the Relevant Party denied the entire arguments delivered by the Petitioners. Thus, they requested that the Court validate the Subang KPU Decree No. 1862 on the certification of the 2024 regent election results.

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Subang Elections Commission Clarifies Discrepancy in Reynaldy's Birth Year