Taliabu Island Bawaslu Claims KPU Failed to Implement 10 Revote Recommendations

The Respondent’s legal counsel Hendra Kasim in the examination hearing for Case No. 267/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 concerning the Taliabu Island Regency election results dispute. Photo by MKRI/Ifa

JAKARTA (MKRI) – Ten out of 12 of Bawaslu (Election Supervisory Body) recommendations for a revote of the 2024 Taliabu regent election were not conducted by the Taliabu Island KPU (Elections Commission), such as at TPS 2 Wayo Village, TPS 1 Bua Mbono Village, TPS 1 Wayo Village, TPS 1 Salati Village, TPS 2 Wayo Village, TPS 1 Maluli Village, TPS 1 Bapenu Village, TPS 2 Onemay Village, TPS 2 Maluli Village, and TPS 1 Lede Village.

This report was presented by the Southeast Sulawesi Bawaslu, represented by Rusly Saraha in the examination hearing to hear the Respondent, the Relevant Party, and Bawaslu of the 2024 Taliabu Island regent election results dispute on Friday, January 24, 2025. The hearing was presided over by Chief Justice Suhartoyo (panel chair), Constitutional Justice Foekh, and M. Guntur Hamzah.

Before the Provincial Bawaslu presented its report, the Taliabu Island Regency Bawaslu, La Umar La Juma updated on the 2024 Taliabu Island Regency election process. Bawaslu received 37 reports, of which 14 were eligible for registration, while the handling of 23 reports was discontinued due to insufficient evidence. “And there are 12 recommended reports, only 1 recommendation was done by the Respondent, and 1 other was declared unable to be done because the Respondent did not have enough time, and 10 other recommendations related to the revote could not be done by the Respondent, citing the recapitulation stage and the Provincial Plenary on December 9, 2024, had been completed.

Candidate’s Certificate

The Respondent, represented by legal counsel Hendra Kasim responded to the issue regarding the diploma of regent candidate 1 Sashabila Widya L. Mus. They clarified that the candidate had submitted a high school diploma or its equivalent issued by the Australia International School Singapore, along with a certificate of authentication from the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Singapore and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia.

"So it is clear and obvious that the argument on the Salshabila Widya L Mus’ diploma is not true," said Hendra.

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In the preliminary hearing on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, the Petitioners requested an annulment of the Taliabu Island KPU Decree No. 188 of 2024 on the certification of the 2024 Taliabu Island Regency election results. They revealed the vote acquisition for each candidate pair was as follows: Candidate Pair 01 Sashabila Widya L. Mus-La O de Yasir (Relevant Party) received 14,769 votes; Candidate Pair 02 (Petitioners) received 13,546 votes; and Candidate Pair 03 Abidin Jaaba-Dedy Mirzan received 6,438 votes. Based on this vote acquisition, the Petitioners argued that there had been numerous instances of voters using their voting rights multiple times at the same and/or different polling stations and that some voters who were not entitled to vote had still cast their ballots.

For instance, at TPS 02 in Woyo Village, West Taliabu District, based on the C-results-KWK forms, the final voters amounted to 362 people. Of these, 307 exercised their voting rights, and there were 2 relocated voters. However, it was found that more than one voter exercised their voting rights more than once at the same or different polling stations, such as a voter named Agus Salim Liambana, who was registered at TPS 01 in Woyo Village. Agus assisted a voter named Satiba, who was registered at TPS 02 in Woyo Village, by helping Satiba vote using his ballot without completing the assistance form. Similar incidents were also reported at other polling stations, such as TPS 01 in Woyo Village, TPS 01 in Salati Village, and TPS 01 in Langganu Village, Lede District, among others.

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Taliabu Island Bawaslu Claims KPU Failed to Implement 10 Revote Recommendations