Four Indonesian ministers have testified that there were no violations of rules in the distribution of government aid money during recent elections, despite claims by two unsuccessful presidential candidates that the money was used for election benefits.
JAKARTA, INDONESIA — Four Indonesian ministers on Friday violated rules in distributing government aid money in recent election campaigns, even as two unsuccessful presidential candidates claimed it was used to benefit the election winner. He testified that there was no such thing.
Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto won the election with 58.6% of the vote, or more than 96 million votes, according to the General Election Commission. This is more than double the votes each second runner-up received in a three-way race.
The defeated candidates (former Jakarta Governor Anyes Baswedan and former Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo) claim that the election was marred by fraud and have asked the Constitutional Court to overturn the results and file a separate lawsuit. They are calling for a new vote to be ordered.
They say Subianto's victory was the result of widespread fraud, with outgoing President Joko Widodo and his government using government social aid as a means to buy votes and changing laws and norms to support Subianto. He claims that he bent it.
Indonesia's president is expected to remain neutral in the election of his successor, but Widodo's former rival Subianto, who lost elections twice before joining Widodo's government, has run as his successor. Mr. Raka even chose Mr. Widodo's son, Gibran Rakabumin Raka, as his running mate, even though he did not meet the constitutional requirement that a candidate be over 40 years old.
Mr. Baswedan and Mr. Pranowo argue that Mr. Raka should have been disqualified and are asking the court to prevent him from voting again. Before the election, Mr. Raka was granted an exception to the controversial minimum age requirement by the Constitutional Court, which was presided over by Mr. Widodo's brother-in-law Anwar Usman at the time. Usman was subsequently forced to resign as chief justice after failing to do so.
Huge sums of government social aid were disbursed during the campaign, far exceeding the amount spent during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Widodo distributed funds directly to many states.
A panel of eight Constitutional Court judges ordered Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhajir Effendi, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati, and Minister of Social Affairs Tori Rismaharini to obtain the disciplinary action. Chief Justice Suhartoyo said he was summoned and, like many Indonesians, is fighting a legal battle in court. single name.
Mr. Effendi denied that the government aid provided between January and June 2024 gave Mr. Subianto an advantage in the February presidential election, saying it was dispersed to achieve the goal of reducing extreme poverty. Ta.
Hartard, who is also the leader of the Golkar party, which is part of the coalition supporting Subianto, said spending on social assistance had become important due to reduced rice production due to the El Niño phenomenon. He said the support was aimed at protecting poor and vulnerable people from rising commodity prices due to El Niño and disruptions to global supply chains.
“Governments need to implement strategies to secure food supplies and maintain the purchasing power of the people,” Hartard said, adding that the program is transparent and will continue to be implemented.
Finance Minister Indrawati, a widely respected former World Bank managing director, said the aid was part of the government's budget and had parliamentary approval.
“The realization and payment pattern is no different compared to the last six years,” Indrawati said. He said the enactment of the 2024 state budget was completed before the Election Commission announced candidates for the presidential election.
The case will be decided by eight judges instead of a nine-member court because Usman, who is still on the bench as an associate judge, will have to resign voluntarily.
Mr. Subianto himself went to court twice to challenge the election results that he lost to Mr. Widodo, but courts rejected his claims both times as baseless. His refusal to accept the results of the 2019 presidential election sparked riots in Jakarta that left seven people dead.
The hearing will begin on March 28, and the verdict, expected on April 22, cannot be appealed.
