Ihsanuddin, Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition is inviting the public to impose ethical sanctions on presidential and vice presidential candidates number 2, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
The invitation was made after the Election Organisers Honorary Council (DKPP) imposed ethical sanctions on General Elections Commission (KPU) commissioners who committed ethical violations in accepting Rakabuming Rake's nomination as a vice presidential candidate.
Yet the DKPP' decision has had no effect on Rakabuming Raka's participation in the 2024 presidential election.
Therefore the groups and non-government organisations (NGOs) that comprise the Civil Society Coalition for Democratic Elections is calling on the public to impose direct sanctions on the Prabowo and Rakabuming Raka presidential ticket.
"The Coalition is also calling on all Indonesian people to impose ethical sanctions on ticket 02, Prabowo-Gibran, by a rejection of the ethics of ticket 02 in the vote on February 14", said Coalition member Julius Hebrew from the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) on Tuesday February 6.
"Voters must express the sovereignty of the ordinary people by not voting for a ticket that contains severe and recurring ethical violations", he said.
Julius said the public needs to impose these sanctions because it was not the first time that Rakabuming Raka's registration as a candidate has been cited as violating electoral ethics.
Following the Constitutional Court's October 16, 2023 ruling that reduced the age limit for presidential and vice presidential candidates that opened the way for Rakabuming Raka to become a candidate, the Constitutional Court Honorary Board (MKMK) declared that the ruling was a serious ethical violation and dismissed Constitutional Court chief justice Anwar Usman – who is also Rakabuming Raka's uncle – from his position.
"The DKPP decision also strengthened the list of 2024 election fraud cases which has been marked by President Jokowi's cawe-cawe [meddling in the elections] and the problem of the neutrality of state and government agencies and state apparatus, as well as corruption through the problematic politics of social aid in various regions", said Hebrew.
The statement was conveyed by Hebrew along with the organisations and NGOs that make up the Coalition, which comprises the PBHI, Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial), the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), Amnesty International Indonesia, the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem), the Institute for Public Research and Advocacy (ELSAM), the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG), the Forum for Defacto, the Setara Institute for Democracy and Human Rights, Migrant Care, the Indonesian Association of the Families of Missing Persons (IKOHI), Transparency International Indonesia (TII), Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW), the Indonesian Parliamentary Centre (IPC), the Gusdurian Network, the Inter-Religious Community Network (Jakatarub), the Institute for Interfaith Dialogue (DIAN/Interfidei), the Indonesian Women's Coalition (KPI), the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL), the Inklusif Foundation, the Fahmina Institute, Palm Oil Watch (Sawit Watch), the Centra Initiative, Medialink, the HUMA Association, the Coalition of Aceh NGOs, Flower Aceh, the Legal Aid Institute for the Press (LBH Pers), the Indonesian Civic Network (LIMA), the Desantara Foundation, the Forum for the Monitoring of People with Disabilities (FORMASI Disabilitas), the Jayapura Secretariat of Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation (SKPKC), AMAN Indonesia, the Budhi Bhakti Pertiwi Foundation, the Democratic Alliance for Papua (ALDP), the Nusantara Traditional Community Alliance (AMAN), Public Virtue, the Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA), the Tifa Foundation, the Inong Aceh Secretariat, the Inong Carong Foundation, the Aceh All Indonesia Trade Union Confederation Equality Commission (KSBSI), Eco Bhinneka Muhammadiyah, the Indonesian United Trade Union Federation (FSBPI), the Teachers Enlightenment Foundation (YCG), the Centre for Legal and Policy Studies (PSHK) and the Community Legal Aid Institute (LBH Masyarakat).
As previously reported, on Monday February 5 the DKPP ruled that all of the KPU commissioners committed an ethical violation in Rakabuming Raka's nomination.
The KPU commissioners were considered to committed an ethical violation because they processed Rakabuming Raka's registration as a vice presidential candidate without changing the minimum age limit for presidential and vice presidential candidates in KPU Regulation Number 19/2023 in accordance with Constitutional Court ruling Number 90/PUU-XXI/2023.
KPU Chairperson Hasyim Asy'ari received the heaviest sanction. "Hasyim Asy'ari as the 1st reported party was proven to have violated the code of ethics and guidelines for the behavior of the election organisers", said DKPP Chairperson Heddy Lugito when reading out the verdict in Jakarta.
In addition to this, the DKPP also imposed strong warning sanctions on six KPU commissioners, namely August Mellaz, Betty Epsilo Idroos, Mochamad Afifuddin, Yulianto Sudrajat, Harahap and Idham Holik.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Koalisi Masyarakat Sipil Ajak Masyarakat Beri Sanksi Etik ke Prabowo-Gibran".]
