Bawaslu Says Prabowo May Break Election Rules over Insulting Remark

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) said that the "stupid" remark by presidential candidate number two, Prabowo Subianto, could be considered an election violation under Article 280 (1) of Law No. 7 of 2017 on Elections, or the Election Law.

“For insulting? It is charged [under Article 280 of the Election Law],” Bawaslu Chairman Rahmat Bagja said at the Constitutional Court Building, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday, Jan. 10.

The regulation bars election participants from insulting people or other election participants. An individual who violates the rule may face a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a maximum fine of Rp24 million.

Bagja, however, refused to speculate on whether Prabowo could be found guilty in this case, stressing the need for further investigation before reaching a conclusion. “We will first look into the context and the target [of the remark]. Let’s see the process,” he added.

Bagja also said that language experts could be called in for their opinions. It is known that Prabowo did not mention the name of the person he was referring to when he made the insult.

Bagja promised that Bawaslu would launch an investigation if there was a report. “Yes, [it will be investigated] if there is a report.”

As previously reported, presidential candidate Anies Baswedan highlighted Prabowo’s land ownership during the third presidential debate on Sunday, Jan. 7. The former governor of Jakarta found it ironic that the Defense Minister owns 340,000 hectares of land while more than half of all Indonesian military soldiers and police lack official residences.

Prabowo brought up Anies’ statement again at another forum in Pekanbaru on Tuesday, Jan. 9. Before his supporters, he questioned the intelligence of a person who mentioned his land. “Is he smart or stupid,” he said in his speech, which later went viral on social media platforms.

SULTAN ABDURRAHMAN

Editor's Choice: Jokowi Smiles When Asked about Anies' Sarcasm against Prabowo on Ethics

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo in Google News