Bawaslu Starts Examining Witnesses In Cases Of Distributing Gus Miftah's Money In Pamekasan

Gus Miftah/DOK VIA BETWEEN HO

PAMEKASAN - The Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) of Pamekasan Regency, East Java began examining witnesses regarding the case of distributing money by Miftah Maulana Habiburrahman alias Gus Miftah in a cigarette warehouse in the area.

"We have examined a resident with the initials S," said the Coordinator of the Pamekasan Bawaslu Violations and Information Data Division, Suryadi, as reported by ANTARA, Friday, January 6.

He explained, S, was a resident who was present at the distribution of money at the cigarette warehouse owned by Hairul Umum alias Haji Her and was caught on camera showing Prabowo Subianto's t-shirt, when Gus Miftah was distributing money to residents.

However, Suryadi was not willing to explain in detail, the results of the examination were carried out on the pretext that it was still in process. Other parties will also be examined, such as the owner of the Haji Her tobacco warehouse, as well as a number of residents who were recognized by officers in the video footage that is now widely circulated in the community.

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, most of the residents came forward and immediately received money while kissing the lecturer's hand. "Number two, number two," read the screams heard in the video, then the camera highlighted the crowd of residents on the back who were also in line and showed someone wearing a black shirt with a presidential candidate number 2, namely Prabowo Subianto.

Previously, the Head of Pamekasan Bawaslu Sukma Umbara Tirta Firdaus stated that the provisional suspicion regarding Gus Miftah's money-sharing action in Pamekasan was categorized as election crime. "But this is still an allegation, it needs sufficient evidence," he said.

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

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

In addition, the money that was distributed to residents was not money from the presidential candidate pair Prabowo Subianto and his deputy Gibran Rakabuming Raka, but was 'Hajj Her' money which was given alms to the residents.

"I was only asked to share it with them," he said at the time.