La Ode M. Askar Adi Jaya (Respondent) with legal counsel M. Takdir Al Mubaraq at the examination hearing for the 2024 Southeast Minahasa regent election case No. 84/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 to hear the Respondent, the Relevant Party, and Bawaslu, Friday (1/24/2025). Photo by MKRI/Ifa.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) — The issue of election organizer’s neutrality resurfaced at the examination hearing for Case No. 84/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 on the 2024 Muna regent election results dispute on Friday, January 24, 2025. The examination hearing to hear the Respondent’s response and statements by the Relevant Party and Bawaslu (Elections Supervisory Body) 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.

The case was filed by Candidate Pair 2 La Ode M Rajiun Tumada and Purnama Ramadhan (Petitioners), with Candidate Pair 1 Bachrun–La Ode Asrafil as Relevant Party and the Muna Regency Elections Commission (KPU) as the Respondent.

The Petitioners mentioned that partiality had been shown in the banners printed by the Respondent, which allegedly contained an invitation to vote for the Relevant Party. However, the Respondent denied the argument. The vertical line inferred as the number 1, according to the Respondent, was a misinterpretation.

“The vertical white line was to cover the sentence ‘Let’s Vote,’“ the Respondent’s legal counsel Muhamad Takdir Al Mubaraq explained.

The Respondent acknowledged the error and made clarifications. They confirmed that the Petitioners had raised an objection during the election coordination meeting. The objection was later followed up by removing the already installed banners.

“[The Respondent] immediately ordered the district election committee (PPK) in 22 districts in Muna Regency through a WhatsApp group and immediately removed the banners that had been installed,” Takdir added.

The Respondent also gave a response to the complaint on the Relevant Party’s vision-mission book printed by the Muna KPU. According to the Respondent, the printing was in accordance with the General Elections Commission (KPU) Regulation No. 1174 of 2024 on Technical Guidelines.

“It was allowed to attach the logo of the regency government, even [the logo was allowed] on the C-result forms, thus in conclusion, the Petitioners’ arguments must be rejected,” Takdir concluded.

Meanwhile, the Muna Bawaslu stated to have received the Petitioners’ report and followed up by issuing a recommendation to the Election Organizer Ethics Council (DKPP). There were three ethical violation reports forwarded to the DKPP.

“First, the vision-mission [book] containing the logo of the Muna Regency Government. Second, the banners that had not been removed on election day. Third, the banners [whose content] bear resemblance to the number 1,” the Bawaslu chairperson Al Abzal Naim explained.

The Relevant Party, as the incumbent, was considered by the Petitioners to have exploited a number of programs and facilities of the Muna Regency Government during the campaign period, one of which is the distribution program corn seeds.

On behalf of the Relevant Party, legal counsel La Ode Muhram argued that the distribution had not been one of the regency programs. “It was a program of the ministry and not of the incumbent. Even the distribution process was never done by the Muna acting regent as the incumbent or the Relevant Party in the a quo case,” he explained.

Another issue clarified was the use of the official residence as a place for a quick count. The Relevant Party stated that the event was a prescheduled activity to conduct monitoring by the acting regent.

“Actually, the day before, it had been scheduled because there was a letter issued by the Muna acting regent,” he said.

Also read: Incumbent Candidate Alleged of Exploiting Muna Government Programs and Facilities

At the preliminary hearing, the Petitioners had outlined the deployment of state civil apparatus (ASN) to rally support for the Relevant Party. The Petitioners also alleged them to have exploited a number of programs and facilities of the Muna Regency Government during the campaign period.

The Petitioners further alleged that the Respondent had shown bias in favor of the Relevant Party, such as the banner containing the call to vote for the Relevant Party and the printing of the Relevant Party’s vision-mission book, which included the Muna Regency Government logo.

Also read:

Petition for Case No. 84/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025

Statement by the Relevant Party

Response by the Respondent

Statement by Bawaslu

Author            : Ashri Fadilla
Editor             : N. Rosi
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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