PSHK UII Suggests KPU Chair To Resign

KPU chairman, Hasyim Asy'ari. Photo : Indonesian KPU twitter

JAKARTA The Center for Constitutional Law Studies at the Faculty of Law, Islamic University of Indonesia (PSHK FH UII) advised the Chairman of the General Elections Commission (KPU) Hasyim Asy'ari to resign after being given a harsh warning sanction by the Honorary Council of General Election Organizers (DKPP).

As is known, the DKPP imposed sanctions on the Chairperson and six KPU members after they were proven to have violated the code of ethics for the registration process of Gibran Rakabuming Raka as a candidate for vice president (cawapres) in 2024.

In a written statement, Thursday, February 8, PSHK researcher FH UII, Muhammad Addi Fauzai assessed that although the problem was in the realm of maladministration, Hasyim Asy'ari had repeatedly violated ethics so that DKPP was sanctioned with the last stern warning.

In addition, Addi considers that the DKPP decision in giving the last tough warning sanctions to Hasyim Asy'ari is very compromisetistic and ignores the principle of election justice. This is because the verdict handed down is not in accordance with the provisions of the sanctions of Article 22 of the DKPP Regulation Number 2 of 2017 concerning the Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct for General Election Organizers.

According to him, the DKPP Regulation only regulates three types of sanctions, namely written warnings, temporary dismissals, or permanent dismissals. "Moreover, there are facts that the KPU chairman has been sentenced to at least three hard warning sanctions," he added.

Addi emphasized that ethical violations by election organizers had implications for reducing public confidence in the process of implementing the 2024 General, Public, Free, Secret, Honest and Fair Election.

Therefore, the chairman of the Indonesian KPU should resign in order to restore public confidence in honest and fair election organizers. All KPU members must also improve and focus on holding elections with integrity. Most importantly, DKPP in deciding every alleged ethical violation should be based on the formal law set by the DKPP itself so that it does not produce a compromise decision that ignores the principle of election justice," concluded Addi.