Prabowo Rejects Election;Yusril Advises Taking Constitutional Way

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Yusril Ihza Mahendra, an expert on constitutional law, said that those who think there is fraud in the general election process are the ones obliged to prove it. According to Yusril, that is the proper way to do it, in accordance with legal principles.

"It is not someone else's job to dispute it, it is their job to prove the allegation," he said in Jakarta, Wednesday, May 15.

Yusril advises parties who are disappointed with the Elections to take legal actions that abide to the constitution. The way is by reporting it to the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) and register a lawsuit in the Constitutional Court—not by mobilizing social movements such as riling up 'people's power'.

Read: Prabowo Supporter Calls for Tax Boycott, Expert: That is Absurd

On Monday, May 13, Prabowo Subianto said he would reject "fraudulent" election results. A number of his campaign team leaders, such as Amien Rais, said that if Prabowo loses he will not sue to the Constitutional Court, but take the people power way instead.

Yusril said that in the world history of revolution and people power, everything still boils down to the constitutional process.

"During the internal revolution of a country, people power is only a way of pushing for change," he said, adding that when that change occurs, it will seek a constitutional form.

He mentioned the 1998 movements for reform in Indonesia. Despite large-scale demonstrations urging President Soeharto to step down, in the end everything was done through constitutionally recognized processes.

“There is no form of people power that does not seek a constitutional end," he said.

ANTARA