Former President Megawati Speaks Out on Constitutional Court Ruling, Smells Electoral Fraud Starting to Occur

By Syakirun Ni’am and Sabrina Asril For Kompas.com, 12 Nove 2023

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The General Chair of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), former President of Indonesia, and daughter of Indonesia’s first president President Soekarno, Ms. Megawati Soekarnoputri, has raised concerns about potential electoral fraud in the lead up to the 2024 presidential elections.

She has issued a warning to prevent any recurrence of cheating. Ms. Megawati made this statement in response to the Constitutional Court’s ruling in case number 90/PUU-XXI/2023 which has been widely criticized for its perceived association with nepotism.

“Do not let the election fraud that has recently begun to manifest itself happen again,” Ms. Megawati said, as broadcast on PDI-P’s YouTube channel on Sunday, November 12, 2023. Ms. Megawati stated that the events at the Constitutional Court regarding the decision in this case have raised awareness among all parties about the manipulation of the law.

Ms. Megawati pointed out that the issue stems from a practice of power that has neglected politics based on conscience and genuine truth. Furthermore, she urged all parties to vigilantly oversee the 2024 elections with wholehearted conscience. “Do not forget, we are a nation of fighters. We are a nation capable of overcoming a variety of historical trials,” Ms. Megawati emphasized.

Recently, Constitutional Court Decision Number 90/PUU-XXI/2023 has attracted public attention because it was widely seen as rolling out the red carpet for the eldest son of President Joko Widodo, Mr. Gibran Rakabuming Raka, to step into the role of vice-presidential candidate.

The ruling read additional exception clauses into the law dealing with the minimum age for presidential and vice-presidential candidates. Following allegations of misconduct in relation to the decision, the Constitutional Court established a Judicial Conduct Board led by Prof. Dr. Jimly Asshiddiqie.

In its decision, the Judicial Conduct Board ruled that all the constitutional justices hearing the case had violated the Constitutional Court’s code of ethics because information from the judicial conference meeting had been leaked to press. Additionally, Chief Justice Anwar Usman, known to be the brother-in-law of President Joko Widodo, and therefore the uncle of his eldest son Mr. Gibran, was found guilty of a serious ethical violation for having lobbied other justices sitting on the case.

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This article is based on https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2023/11/12/15170941/buka-suara-soal-putusan-mk-megawati-cium-kecurangan-pemilu-mulai-terjadi