Sue The Results Of The Pilkada, Paslon Kasuba-Basri Calls The North Maluku KPU Specializing Cagub Sherly Tjoanda

Screenshot - Faudjan Muslim as attorney for the candidate pair for Governor and Deputy Governor of North Maluku serial number 3 Muhammad Kasuba-Basri Salama

JAKARTA - The candidate pair for Governor and Deputy Governor of North Maluku Number 3 Muhammad Kasuba-Basri Salama who sued the results of the 2024 North Maluku Pilkada said the local provincial KPU privileged governor candidate number 4 Sherly Tjoanda in the election stage.

Kasuba-Basri's attorney, Faudjan Muslim, in a preliminary examination hearing at the Constitutional Court, said the alleged KPU's preferential treatment was not in accordance with Article 27 paragraph (1) of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia which mandated that every citizen has the same position before the law.

"Based on Article 27 paragraph (1) of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, the implementation of the values of equality before the law must apply to all Indonesian citizens, including to all pairs of candidates in the election for governor and deputy governor of North Maluku Province without discriminating their rights to each other," Faudjan said as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, January 10.

One form of the alleged privilege of the North Maluku KPU for Sherly Tjoanda, namely the difference in the location of the hospital at the health examination stage.

The Kasuba-Basri camp said that Sperly Tjoanda was being questioned at the Gatot Subroto Army Hospital in Jakarta, while the other candidate pairs will be at Dr. Chasan Boesoirie Hospital Ternate.

Sherly Tjoanda is the wife of the late Benny Laos, a candidate for governor of North Maluku Province who died in an accident on October 12, 2024. Meanwhile, Sherly Tjoanda was also a victim in the accident.

Sherly Tjoanda was later appointed as a replacement for Benny Laos through the North Maluku KPU Decree Number 56 of 2024 dated October 23, 2024.

According to Kasuba-Basri, this time span is too fast and irrational, so it is suspected to be another form of privilege by the North Maluku KPU.

"That the time span between October 12, 2024, and October 23, 2024, is a time span that does not allow Sherly Tjoanda, who is sick due to the accident, to be able to go through the process of examining her health for the benefit of her candidacy as a substitute for her late husband as a candidate for governor of North Maluku Province," said the argument. Kasuba-Basri, quoted from the application file.

According to Kasuba-Basri, the appointment of Sherly Tjoanda as a candidate for governor who is paired with Sarbin Sehe is a formal and juridical defect. Therefore, they think that the North Maluku KPU should not determine it for the sake of the nomination law of Sherly Tjoanda.

Kasuba-Basri requested that the North Maluku Province KPU Decree Number 67 of 2024 concerning the Determination of the Recapitulation of the Calculation Results of the 2024 North Maluku Provincial Governor and Deputy Governor's Votes be canceled.

Kasuba-Basri also asked the Constitutional Court to disqualify candidate pair number 4 Sherly Tjoanda-Sarbin Sehe as participants in the North Maluku Pilkada, and ordered the North Maluku KPU to re-vote at all polling stations without including Sherly Tjoanda-Sarbin Sehe.

The North Maluku KPU previously determined that the pair Sherly Tjoanda-Sarbin Sehe received the most votes with 359,416 votes. Meanwhile, the Kasuba-Basri pair received the least votes, namely 91,297 votes.

The 2024 North Maluku Pilkada was attended by four pairs of candidates for governor and deputy governor. The other two pairs of candidates, including candidate pair number 1 Husain Alting Sjah-Asrul Rasyid Ichsan, won 168,174 votes and candidate pair number 2 Aliong Mus-Sahril Thahir 76,605 votes.

The results of the 2024 North Maluku Pilkada led to a dispute in the Court. Apart from Kasuba-Basri, the Husain Alting Sjah-Asrul Rasyid Ichsan and Aliong Mus-Sahril Thahir pair also filed a lawsuit, each of which was registered with case Number 251/PHPU.GUB-XXIII/2025 and Number 245/PHPU.GUB-XXIII/2025.