Called "Abuse of Power", the President is Reluctant to Respond

The term "coordinated abuse of power" emerged. President Jokowi also refused to comment.

KOMPAS/NINA SUSILO

President Joko Widodo gave a statement after opening the XII Hikmahbudhi Congress in Jakarta, Thursday (28/3/2024).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The lawsuit over the dispute over the results of the 2024 Presidential Election at the Constitutional Court has dragged in the government and President Joko Widodo. The pair of presidential candidates and vice presidential candidates Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD accused nepotism which ultimately led to coordinated abuse of power. The General Election Commission also said that after the terms structured, systematic and massive, there is now a coordinated abuse of power from the accusations of the presidential and vice presidential candidates.

President Joko Widodo was reluctant to respond when asked about allegations of coordinated abuse of power. "I don't want to comment related to the Constitutional Court," he told journalists after attending the opening of the XII Congress of the Indonesian Buddhist Student Association (Hikmahbudhi), in Jakarta, Thursday (28/3/2024).

In the lawsuit over the dispute of the presidential election results (PHPU), the number 3 presidential and vice-presidential candidate pair alleged fraud in the 2024 Presidential Election as being structured, systematic, and massive (TSM). This candidate pair also requested that the Constitutional Court disqualify the presidential candidate pair of Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

Also read: In response to Ganjar-Mahfud's lawsuit, the KPU no longer uses "TSM", but "APT", what is that?

Meanwhile, the KPU in its response to the Ganjar-Mahfud couple's lawsuit stated that the arguments mentioned were not only TSM, but also coordinated abuse of power (APT). This is because the lawsuits submitted mostly contain violations that are actually thought to have been committed by the President and his staff, not the number 2 presidential and vice presidential candidates, Prabowo-Gibran.

Therefore, the legal counsel of the KPU, Hifdzil Alim, deemed the lawsuit against the KPU as inappropriate. The President is not a participant in the election and is not a party in the election dispute. The argument of the petitioner is also considered inappropriate and misdirected. The KPU requested that the Constitutional Court reject the lawsuit.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

The head of the applicant's legal team, Todung Mulya Lubis (left), together with the presidential candidate pair Ganjar Pranowo (middle) and vice presidential candidate Mahfud MD (right) as the applicant party, ahead of the preliminary hearing of the dispute over the results of the presidential election at the Constitutional Court in the 2024 Elections, in Jakarta, on Wednesday (27/3/2024).

KPU introduces new term

With the accusation of abuse of power, the KPU introduced a new term, namely APT, when responding to Ganjar-Mahfud's lawsuit in the PHPU dispute at the Constitutional Court. The KPU now mentions not only the term TSM, but also APT.

"Ganjar-Mahfud's application argues that TSM cheated in the 2024 presidential election process, including in the form of coordinated abuse of power. "This is a noble new model, there is now a PT called abuse of power that is coordinated," said Hifdzil during a hearing at the Constitutional Court, Jakarta, Thursday (28/3/2024).

The continuation of the Presidential Election Dispute Court (PHPU) hearing schedules the presentation of the respondent's answer, statements from related parties, and testimony from the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu). The hearing is chaired by the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Suhartoyo and seven other judges of the Constitutional Court.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

The Chairman of the Election Committee, Hasyim Asyari, as the respondent, attended the preliminary hearing of the presidential election dispute case in the 2024 General Election at the Constitutional Court in Jakarta, with the plaintiffs, the presidential and vice-presidential candidate pair Ganjar Pranowo and Mahfud MD, on Wednesday (March 27, 2024).

Six leaders from the Election Commission (KPU) also attended this election dispute hearing. In addition to KPU Chairman Hasyim Asy'ari, KPU members Mochammad Afifuddin, Idham Holik, Betty Epsilon Idroos, August Mellaz, and Yulianto Sudrajat were also present. KPU was also accompanied by legal representatives.

Also read: Otto Hasibuan: The 2024 Election is the Peaceful and Best Election

Meanwhile, the relevant parties who were present included Yusril Ihza Mahendra and Otto Hasibuan. From Bawaslu, present were the Bawaslu Chairman Rahmat Bagja and four members of Bawaslu, namely Lolly Suhenty, Puadi, Totok Hariyono, and Herwyn JH Malonda.

On the side of Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar, those present included Ari Yusuf Amir and Zainuddin Paru. Then, on the side of Ganjar-Mahfud there were Todung Mulya Lubis and Maqdir Ismail.