Prabowo-Gibran Team Claims Bawaslu 'Over-acting' Over Campaign Violation Finding

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Head of Prabowo-Gibran's Defense Team Yusril Ihza Mahendra believed that The Central Jakarta General Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) was overreacting in its declaration that Gibran Rakabuming was guilty of handing out free milk during car-free day event in Jakarta. He argued that the regulation does not correlate with the issue at hand.

According to Yusril, the Central Jakarta Bawaslu should have used general elections-related regulation, not the Jakarta Governor Regulation.

"Central Jakarta Bawaslu isn't authorized to examine whether or not a violation outside of the general elections is occurring," Yusril said in a statement on Friday, January 5, 2024.

Central Jakarta Bawaslu announced that Gibran Rakabuming violated Article 7 (2) of the Jakarta Governor Regulation No. 12 of 2016, which stipulated that the car-free day event must not be utilized for the interest of political parties and SARA (race, ethnicity, religion, and group) activity, as well as provocative speech.

On the other hand, Yusril said that in addition to the lack of authority to examine regulations outside of those concerning the general elections, the governor's regulation does not stipulate any penal sanctions.

"It is befuddling that Bawaslu Central Jakarta declared Gibran's milk distribution activity as a violation of the law, while the Jakarta governor regulation is in no way providing any sanction, and instead a set of persuasive rules," he said.

Hence, Yusril believed Bawaslu was unprofessional in its actions. "It could be seen as an ethical violation," he added.

However, Prabowo-Gibran's team has no plan in place to take action against Bawaslu, aside from urging the agency to avoid over-acting.

The Bawaslu Central Jakarta declared the vice presidential candidate number 2 Gibran Rakabuming Raka to have committed a violation of the law concerning his milk distribution activity during the car-free day or CFD Jakarta on Sunday, December 3, 2023. Thus, Bawaslu Central Jakarta recommends Bawaslu Jakarta to proceed with the finding.

"Recommends the finding numbered 001/Reg/TM/PP/Kota/12.01/XII/2023 concerning milk distribution by vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka to people around the area of CFD Central Jakarta on December 3, 2023, registered on December 11, 2023, as a violation of law," wrote the announcement letter signed by the head of Bawaslu Central Jakarta Christian Nelson Pangkey or Sonny, quoted from Antara on Thursday, January 4, 2024.

ADE RIDWAN YANDWIPUTRA | ANTARA

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