Allegedly Data Manipulation, Indicator Survey Introduces Ethnics And Fake Figures

Illustration of the 2024 Pilkada. (Irfan M-VOI)

JAKARTA - Indonesia Anti Corruption Network (IACN) has spoken about the alleged engineering of survey data by the Indonesian Political Indicators regarding the North Maluku Regional Election (Malut).

IACN Director Igriza Majid said he doubted the validity of the survey results of the survey agency led by Burhanuddin Muhtadi which stated that candidate pairs (paslon) Sherly Tjoanda and Sarbin Sehe outperformed the other three candidate pairs.

According to the anti-corruption activist from North Maluku, doubts about the results of the survey by Indonesian Political Indicators arose due to discrepancies between the candidate pair's electability rate and the number of respondents.

"In the survey results, candidate pair number 4 Sherly-Sarbin is superior with a percentage of 40.7 percent, followed by candidate pair number 1 Husain Alting Sjah-Asrul Rasyid Ichsan 20.7 percent. Then Muhammad Kasuba-Basri Salama (MK Bisa) 15.5 percent; and Aliong Mus-Sahril Thahir (AM-SAH) 10.4 percent. Meanwhile, respondents who claimed not to know/secrets were 12.8 percent. If accumulated, the percentage of respondents exceeded 100%, namely 100.1 percent," said Isriza, Wednesday, November 13.

In addition, said Igriza, there was also a discrepancy in the number of accumulated respondents based on ethnic demographics. There are approximately 3 ethnicities whose accumulation of respondents is only 99.9 percent and there are also ethnic accumulations that exceed 100.1 percent

"For example, the accumulation contained in the Galela ethnicity, for Husain-Asrul 14.2% then Aliong-Syahril 10.1 percent, then MK-BISA 28.0 percent and Sherly-Sarbin 37.9 percent, while respondents who did not know or who had not made a choice were 9.7 percent. If this number is accumulated, the total number of respondents is less than 100 percent, namely only 99.9 percent," said Igriza.

The same percentage also occurred in ethnic Sula, Ternate and other ethnicities, namely only 99.9 percent of the accumulation of respondents. Meanwhile, in the ethnic Buton, Butung and Butong, the accumulation exceeded 100.1 percent," he continued.

This young activist from Holdee explained, in terms of demographic socio, Indonesian Indicators seem to lie.

"That's true, Indicators. Base Ethnic Makeang, ethnic Tidore, and Sula were deliberately reduced. After that, they also created a new ethnic group, namely the Halmahera, Butung and Butong ethnic groups. Where did this ethnicity come from? We have never heard of this ethnicity in North Maluku here. Even if the meaning is ethnic Bitung, it is still understandable, maybe a typo but which ethnic Halmahera and Butong are ethnicities? Because in ethnic descriptions there are already Buton ethnicities and other ethnicities. This means that the Indicator seems carelessly annexing ethnic names that even we North Maluku have never heard of, "said Igriza.

"Then the strange percentage in the Togale Sherly ethnicity is said to be superior to Muhammad Kasuba, namely in Galela 37 percent and in Tobelo 74 percent. Whereas in a representative manner the Constitutional Court is better known by the Togale tribe because the Constitutional Court is the only native son of Togale who participated in the Pilgub contestation, while Sherly has no ethnic relationship whatsoever with the Togale ethnicity. This is strange," he added.

Igriza also questioned the personal image created not Sherly Tjoanda but Sherly Laos. The mini KPK anti-corruption school alumini questioned whether the change in Sherly's last name was in accordance with the provisions that should have been ratified by the state through court stipulation or not?

"Administratively, we can see from all the files that are included in the KPU: has there been a change in name? If not, then other Paslon attorneys can question this from a legal point of view," said Igriza.

"Of all the registered Paslons, there is no name for Sherly Laos but Sherly Tjoanda. It just depends on whether the legal counsel has a sensitivity to see this? Likewise, the survey institute that deceives the public must be brought to the realm of law. Not only processes of sum but also the name Sherly Laos contained in the Indicator survey, is it in accordance with the name in the filing at KPUD or not? This is also important to be questioned," he concluded.