West Bandung Regional Head Election Dispute Session, Hengki Kurniawan Asks MK To Disqualify Jeje Govinda

The attorney for Hengki Kurniawan, Regginaldo Sultan (upper right) in the preliminary trial of the 2024 Pilkada dispute at Building I MK, Jakarta, Wednesday (8/1/2025). (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Candidate Pair for Regent and Deputy Regent of West Bandung number 3 Hengki Kurniawan-Ade Sudradjat Usman asked the Constitutional Court (MK) to disqualify candidate pair number 2 Jeje total Ismail (Jeje Govinda)-Asep Ismail from the 2024 West Bandung Pilkada participation.

One of the attorneys for Hengki-Sudradjat, mitigating Sultan, said that Jeje-Asep Ismail had committed violations from the campaign stages to voting, including taking sides with government officials and money politics.

"If the election for the regent and deputy regent of West Bandung is carried out honestly and fairly, without the two things happening above, it is certain that the election results for the regent and deputy regent of West Bandung will not experience a dispute between the applicant and candidate pair number 2 not too far away," said Regginaldo at the preliminary hearing at Building I MK, Jakarta, Wednesday, January 8, confiscated by Antara.

Hengki-Sudradjat argued that there was partiality to the government apparatus in the Jeje-Asep Ismail pair, namely the Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions Yandri Susanto and the Presidential Special Envoy for the Development of the Young Generation and Art Workers Raffi Ahmad.

Regginaldo explained that Yandri Susanto during a working visit to Cikahuripan Village on November 15, 2024, allegedly conveyed messages that led to the support and victory of Jeje-Asep Ismail. Meanwhile, Raffi Ahmad was also present at the working visit.

"That the sentences conveyed by Yandri Susanto are as follows, so the conditions are only two or two compact, Raffi Ahmad's relationship is extraordinary, his relationship is, whoever doesn't know him, use Raffi Ahmad for the progress of West Bandung, ready, ready," he said.

He also mentioned Yandri Susanto several times inserting the word "two" in the sentence spoken so that it was suspected that the Minister of Villages and Development of the Disadvantaged Regions had used his position to support the Jeje-Asep Ismail pair.

In addition, the Hengki-Sudradjat camp also suspected Raffi Ahmad of using his position as a government apparatus to influence voters during the grand campaign of the Jeje-Asep Ismail pair on November 22, 2024.

"During the grand campaign, candidate pair number 2 was attended by Raffi Ahmad as the Presidential Special Envoy for the Development of the Young Generation and Art Workers virtually on the monitor screen displayed on the grand campaign stage, who is suspected of using his position as a state official and/or government apparatus to provide support for candidate pair number 2," said Regginaldo.

On the other hand, Hengki-Sudradjat suspects that money politics has been carried out in a structured, systematic and massive manner in more than half the number of sub-districts in West Bandung, affecting voters to choose the Jeje-Asep Ismail pair.

On that basis, Hengki-Sudradjat in his petitum asked the Constitutional Court to cancel the West Bandung Regency KPU Decree Number 272 of 2024 concerning the Determination of the Results of the 2024 West Bandung Regent and Deputy Regent Elections.

Both of them also asked the Constitutional Court to disqualify candidate pair number 2 Jeje Total Ismail and Asep Ismail from the 2024 West Bandung Regional Elections.

It was also requested that the Constitutional Court order the General Elections Commission (KPU) to carry out a re-voting without being followed by the Jeje-Asep Ismail pair.