The Respondent’s legal counsel Arnoldus Alo Lengka (center) responding to the petition for Case No. 215/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 disputing the 2024 Tambrauw regent election results, Friday (1/31/2025). Photo by MKRI/Bayu.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) — The Tambrauw Regency KPU (Elections Commission) as Respondent denied the allegation that voting had been conducted through noken* at TPS (polling station) 001 in Mega Hamlet, Moraid District, Tambrauw Regency. The Petitioners of Case No. 215/PHPU.BUP-XXIII/2025 Yohanis Yembra-Petrus Yewen (Candidate Pair Number 1) made the allegation.

the Tambrauw Regency KPU’s legal counsel Arnoldus Alo Lengka stated that the Petitioners’ claim was inaccurate. There was an incident of voters casting their votes more than once, followed by the same violation by the community protection officers and organizers.

“Related to the incident on December 4, 2024, a revote was conducted at TPS 001 of Mega Hamlet, Moraid District, Tambrauw Regency,” Lengka stated at the hearing on Friday, January 31, 2025.

The Respondent also denied that the voting at TPS 001 in Barar Hamlet, Kwoor District had been conducted behind closed doors. However, they emphasized that this allegation is not true. They asserted that the voting had been conducted in accordance with applicable regulations. The voting process was also attended by the KPPS (polling station working committee), witnesses of the candidate pairs, polling station supervisors, and police officers. The Respondent also added that no party had raised an objection, and there was no recommendation from the Tambrauw Regency Bawaslu (Elections Supervisory Body) regarding the alleged violations at the polling station.

The Petitioners also argued that there had been intervention by hamlet officials and district heads who directed voters to vote for Candidate Pair Number 2 in Bamusbama, Tobouw, and South Miyah Districts. However, the Respondent explained that voting in these districts had gone well in accordance with the applicable procedures and mechanisms, with the presence of witnesses of the candidate pairs as well as polling station supervisors.

Democratic Voting

Yieskiel Yesnath-Paulus Ajambuani (Relevant Party) also denied claims made by the Petitioners. The Relevant Party’s legal counsel Muhammad Rizal asserted that the voting process in several locations had proceeded democratically and in accordance with the applicable regulations.

The Relevant Party affirmed that the claim that voting at TPS 01 of Barar Hamlet, Kwoor District had been conducted behind closed doors was untrue. “The voting process ran in a democratic manner and open to the public, with the presence of the Petitioners’ witness, Niko Yesnath, who also signed the minutes, certificates, and records of the vote counting results at the polling station,” Rizal said.

The Relevant Party denied the allegation regarding TPS 01 of Mega Hamlet, Moraid District, and stated that the alleged violation had been followed up by the Tambrauw Regency Bawaslu by issuing a letter recommending a revote. “In accordance with the [Bawaslu] recommendation, the Tambrauw Regency KPU has conducted a revote on December 4, 2024,” he explained. 

The relevant parties denied allegations of intervention by stating that there were no objections raised by witnesses of Candidate Pair Number 1 at the plenary meeting of vote calculation recapitulation in the aforementioned district. The Petitioners’ witness, Ruti Yeblo, agreed to the results of the vote count and signed D-result model form of the Bamusbama District.

Also read: Noken Voting and Partisanship Under Scrutiny in Tambrauw Regent Election

Meanwhile, Bawaslu revealed that they had received 12 reports of alleged violations during the Tambrauw election process. “Of these [12 reports], six reports were registered, two were not registered, and five were not followed up,” explained Johannis P.M. Manyambouw. 

Bawaslu explained that in the case was terminated at the first stage by Gakkumdu (Integrated Law Enforcement), and at the second stage by the Prosecution Office. One other case was also terminated because it did not fulfill the elements of the offense.  Meanwhile, one finding received by Bawaslu could not be followed up due to the lack of evidence. Bawaslu stated that three recommendations for a revote had been issued and had been implemented in accordance with the prevailing provisions.

The Petitioners requested the Court to cancel the results of the vote recapitulation and to order a revote that is more transparent and in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

(*) The noken voting system is carried out by communities in Papua, either through public agreement on vote allocation or through the delegation of votes to a tribal leader.

Author               : Utami Argawati
Editor                : Lulu Anjarsari P.
PR                    : Tiara Agustina
Translator         : Dinita Aktivia/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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