Yandri Susanto Denies The Dalil Of The Constitutional Court's Decision On The Serang Regional Head Election, Calls Himself Not Yet Mendes

Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions Yandri Susanto during a press conference in Jakarta, Wednesday (26/2/2025). BETWEEN/Good Ahmad Rizaldi

JAKARTA - Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions Yandri Susanto denied a number of arguments in the decision of the Constitutional Court (MK) which canceled the victory of candidate pair number 2 Ratu Rachmatuzakiyah-M. Najib Hamas in the 2024 Serang Pilkada. The Constitutional Court ordered that there be a re-voting (PSU).

Yandri is the husband of Ratu Rahchmatuzakiyah, who was said by the Constitutional Court to be involved in providing support from the village head to his wife. However, he admitted that he respected the Constitutional Court's decision because it was final and binding.

"So, the arguments that the Constitutional Court has said need to be straightened out," said Yandri during a press conference in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Wednesday, February 26.

The Constitutional Court, he said, had stated that he was involved with village officials in Serang Regency for attending the working meeting of the Serang Regency Village Government Association (Apdesi), Banten, October 3, 2024.

At that time, he explained that he had not yet served as Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions due to the inauguration on October 21, 2024.

In addition, he said that at that time he was no longer the Deputy Chair of the MPR RI because it had stopped on September 30, 2024.

"So, I was invited as a resource person, I conveyed there about how Banten was free of corruption roughly," he said.

The second point, he continued, was the matter of organizing the Haul and Santri events at his Islamic boarding school which was argued as a campaign agenda.

Yandri explained that Bawaslu officers were present at the event and that it was truly not a campaign agenda.

"Many people attended the event, including members of the Indonesian House of Representatives, guests from West Java, from Lampung, from Bengkulu, from Jakarta, from other Banten districts/cities, from Pandeglang, Serang City, basically not only residents of Serang Regency," he said.

He said that the Constitutional Court's decision signaled his working visit after becoming a minister to Serang Regency as a campaign. However, the fact witness presented by the plaintiff who is the village head did not mention that the working visit was a campaign agenda.

"They said in front of the panel of judges that the Minister of Villages (Minister of Villages) did not carry out any campaigns at all, and this was also confirmed by Bawaslu," he said.

However, he also admitted that he was ready to return to undergoing the PSU in the Regional Head Election (Pilkada) of Serang Regency.

He admitted that he had submitted a rebuttal related to the arguments to the Constitutional Court.

"I am currently still the Chair of the PAN DPP Pilkada Team, that the coalition parties in Serang Regency, namely Gerindra, PAN, PKS, and others. God willing, it is ready to follow the orders of the Constitutional Court, namely re-election at all polling stations," he said.

Previously, Constitutional Justice Enny Nurbaningsih explained that the Constitutional Court found the fact that there was a video related to the incident of providing support by a number of village heads to candidate pair number 2 Ratu Rachmatuzakiyah-M. Najib Hamas.

The Constitutional Court also found that there were a series of legal evidences and facts regarding activities involving the Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions Yandri Susanto in the activity of providing support.