Remain Loyal to the Constitution

ANTARA FOTO/YULIUS SATRIA WIJAYA

Police guard officials of the Bogor General Elections Commission (KPU) on Wednesday (12/6/2019) in Cibinong, Bogor regency, West Java, as they prepare a vote recapitulation form to submit as evidence in the election dispute over the 2019 presidential election. The KPU Bogor has unsealed its ballot boxes to provide the vote recapitulation forms to the Constitutional Court in Jakarta.

Indonesian politics is entering an important and crucial period. The hearing at the Constitutional Court and the investigations into the May 21 and 22 riots have become tests.

The two cases must go in parallel by continuing to make the Constitution a reference. The Constitution is the nation\'s social contract. The Constitutional Court (MK) is mandated by the Constitution to resolve, among other things, disputes over election results. The Constitutional Court is the guardian of the Constitution and also the guardian of ideology and the guardian of democracy. The Constitution affirms the principle of Indonesia as a legal state, not a state of power: a state of constitutional democracy.

No other institution has been given a constitutional mandate to resolve disputes over election results other than the Constitutional Court. Also, seeking street justice is not the way, as supporters of presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto once said when responding to the results of the presidential election. Therefore, we appreciate the steps taken by Prabowo and Sandiaga Uno to file lawsuits against the election results with the Constitutional Court. We appreciate Prabowo\'s speech, which invited his supporters to entrust the disputes over the election results to the Constitutional Court. Prabowo also asked his supporters not to be present around the Constitutional Court.

ANTARA FOTO/YULIUS SATRIA WIJAYA

Police guard an official of the Bogor General Elections Commission (KPU) on Wednesday (12/6/2019) in Cibinong, Bogor regency, West Java, as he readies a ballot box to submit as evidence in the election dispute over the 2019 presidential election. The KPU Bogor has unsealed its ballot boxes to provide the vote recapitulation forms to the Constitutional Court in Jakarta.

We appreciate Prabowo\'s speech, but the public still has to see the consistency of the speech. The public will watch and wait to see if the speech is followed by supporters or there are still other parties who have different political goals. Prabowo\'s speech was relatively in line with the Kompas poll of April 29, 2019. The poll showed that 92.5 percent of respondents accepted the election results, including if the presidential candidate they supported lost. However, filing lawsuits with the Constitutional Court is Prabowo\'s constitutional right.

The Constitutional Court is the most civilized stage for data, witnesses and legal arguments. In this special forum, it is the responsibility of Prabowo and Sandiaga’s legal team to prove its claims of victory, first citing 62 percent support and then only 52 percent. Meanwhile, based on the General Elections Commission (KPU) count, the Joko Widodo and Ma\'ruf Amin won 55.5 percent with a difference of about 16 million votes.

KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO

Police guard officials of the General Elections Commission (KPU) as they ready evidence on Wednesday (12/6/2019) to submit to the Constitutional Court in connection with election dispute over the 2019 presidential election. The KPU is a defendant in the election litigation filed by the legal representatives of presidential ticket No. 02, Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno. The preliminary hearing on the election dispute is to be held on Friday, June 14 2019.

Prabowo\'s statesmanship and obedience, as well as of course Jokowi’s, to the Constitution must still be seen in their response to the post-judicial decision. The Constitutional Court decision is final and binding. With the Constitutional Court\'s decision, the elected president will have strong constitutional legitimacy. The quality of democracy is also determined by the attitude of the losing party.

On the other hand, the riots on May 22, 2019 must be fully revealed. All actors involved, both as field actors, money providers, planners and masterminds, must account for their actions before the law. The eight deaths must be revealed. The National Police have a heavy duty to uncover the facts about the riots on May 21 and 22, 2019, and present them in a trial forum so that the problem becomes clear. The Constitutional Court\'s trial and law enforcement on the riots May 21 and 22, 2019, would provide the momentum to strengthen the ideology of the state of law and not merely a state of power.