The Malang City Bawaslu, Hamdan Akbar Safara and M Hasbi Ash Shiddiqy testifying in the examination hearing of case No. 277/PHPU.WAKO-XXIII/2025 on the Malang City mayoral election result dispute, Monday (1/20/2025). Photo by MKRI/Ifa

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JAKARTA (MKRI) — The Ministry of Home Affairs through the letter of Acting Directorate General of Regional Autonomy has authorized the Acting Mayor of Malang City to appoint, inaugurate, and reshuffle 96 administrator and supervisor officials within the city government on May 3, 2024, and another 35 officials on August 9, 2024.

The Malang City KPU/Election Commission (the Respondent) legal counsel Jufaldi testified the above in the examination hearing of the 2024 Malang mayoral election result dispute with the agenda hearing the testimonies of the Respondent, Relevant Party, and the Malang City Bawaslu (Election Supervisory Body) on Monday, January 20, 2025.

In response to the Petition of Budhy Pakarti (the Petitioner) as an individual of Indonesian citizen, the Response delivered a testimony for case No. 277/PHPU.WAKO-XXIII/2025 from panel 1 courtroom.

“With the reshuffle, the Respondent has clarified that the reshuffle by the Related Party was authorized by the Minister of Home Affairs. Therefore, there were no grounds to challenge the candidacy announcement by the Respondent,” stated Jufaldi in the hearing. Chief Justice Suhartoyo chaired the hearing joined by Justices Daniel Yusmic P. Foekh and M. Guntur Hamzah.

No Recommendation

The Malang City Bawaslu, represented by Hamdan Akbar Safara, noted that the reshuffle in the Malang city government occurred in two phases, 96 officials on May 3, 2024, and 35 officials on August 9, 2024. Bawaslu confirmed that this reshuffle was indeed approved by the Minister of Home Affairs.

“So, starting from here, there was no recommendation, but only complaints which we investigated,” emphasized Hamdan.

Also read:

Election Observer Questions Reshuffle of Malang City Officials

At the preliminary hearing on January 8, 2025, the Petitioners requested the annulment of Malang City KPU Decree No. 629 of 2024, dated December 3, 2024, concerning the certification of Malang City election results. The Petitioners argued that their petition was grounded in Article 454 paragraph (3) of Law No. 7 of 2017. In August 2024, the Petitioners, democracy observers in Malang City, received Circular Letter No. 96 of 2024, which provided an interpretation of legal issues related to the 2024 nominations of governors, vice governors, regents, vice regents, mayors, and vice mayors. This letter serves as a guideline for performing election supervisory duties. It explicitly stated that any reshuffling of officials within the Malang City Government by the acting mayor is prohibited within six months prior to the incumbent's official announcement as a candidate.

The Petitioner requested the Court to invalidate the reshuffle of 96 officials and supervisors in the Malang City Government on May 3-4, 2024 and 35 officials and supervisors on August 9, 2024 by Wahyu Hidayat, candidate pair 1 for mayor-vice mayor in the 2024 Malang City election, as a violation of Law No. 10 of 2016 and the Bawaslu Circular Letter No. 96 of 2024. As such, the candidate pair must be disqualified.

The petition for case No. 227/PHPU.WAKO-XXIII/2025 can be accessed here.

Author           : Sri Pujianti

Editor            : N. Rosi
Translator      : Ryan Alfian/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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