Bawaslu Investigate Action To Distribute Gus Miftah's Money In Pamekasan

PAMEKASAN - The Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) of Pamekasan Regency, East Java investigated a viral video that presented an action to distribute money by Miftah Maulana Habiburrahman alias Gus Miftah in a cigarette warehouse in the region.

"We have held an internal meeting and coordinated with the District Supervisory Committee (Panwascam) regarding the video of distributing Gus Miftah's money, which is now circulating on whatsApp and tiktok social media platforms," said Head of Bawaslu Pamekasan Sukma Umbara Tirta Firdaus in a press statement quoted by ANTARA, Friday, December 29 evening.

The act of distributing money by the lecturer who is also the leader of the Ora Aji Islamic Boarding School, Sleman, Yogyakarta has gone viral, because he is known as a supporter of one of the pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates for the 2024 General Election.

In the 1 minute 29 second video that is circulating on social media, Gus Miftah appears to be distributing money to the people of Rp. 100 thousand who queue in a room.

One by one, the residents who mostly women came forward and immediately received money while kissing the lecturer's hand. "Number two, number two", read a scream heard in the sound of the video, then the camera highlighted the crowd of residents on the back who were also queuing and showed someone wearing a black shirt with serial number 2 presidential candidate.

Participating in accompanying Gus Miftah during the distribution of the money, the owner of the Onion Cigarette Company Mas Khairul Umam alias 'Haji Her'.

According to Sukma, the provisional suspicion regarding the action of distributing Gus Miftah's money in Pamekasan is categorized as election crime. "But this is still an allegation, it needs sufficient evidence," he said.

The video for Gus Miftah's money at the office of the Bawang Mas cigarette company owned by Haji Her has been circulating since December 28, 2023 and a day after that, on Friday (29/12), a video of clarification was circulated directly by Gus Miftah.

In the video, he explained, his arrival to Pamekasan was not in the context of a campaign, but because he fulfilled Khairul Umam's invitation, who is a tobacco entrepreneur and at the same time the Chairman of the Pioneer Association of Farmers and Tobacco Traders in Madura (P4TM) on Jalan Raya Pasar Blumbungan, Larangan, Pamekasan.

"Haji Her is a wealthy businessman in Pamekasan. She used to give alms every day. Yesterday, when I was invited, when I was invited, I distributed money. Coincidentally I was invited and I was asked to share money," said Gus Miftah.

He also explained that his arrival to Pamekasan was not in the context of a campaign, but because he fulfilled the invitation.

"What is clear is that I am not the National Campaign Team (TKN). I am not written as a campaign team," he said.

He also denied that the act of sharing which is now viral among netizens was a form of money politics.

"If it's a monopoly on politics, how come it's outspoken?, how stupid is it. Instead of sneering, let's distribute alms, relax," said Gus Miftah in the video.