Jakarta, Legal Literacy - Ganjar Pranowo and Mahfud MD stated that filing a lawsuit regarding the dispute over the general election results to the Constitutional Court aims to maintain stability and the public's aspirations for a better Indonesia. They hope that the Court will have the courage to annul the election results, as has happened in several other countries.

Ganjar stated that the Indonesian nation was born with a vision to uphold the values of humanity, equality, and justice. He emphasized that these ideals can only be achieved if leaders are able to prioritize the interests and welfare of citizens above their personal interests in power.

The Indonesian nation has also enjoyed progress in a freer and more open democracy after the 1998 Reformation. People can now feel freedom in expressing opinions, obtaining the right to vote for leaders, and presenting limitations on terms of leadership. However, the responsibility to maintain the spirit of reform must continue to be maintained by future generations.

However, Ganjar continued, democracy can be tarnished by parties who only prioritize power and personal interests. In fact, in the 2024 Presidential Election, there were allegations of abuse of power, where the government allegedly used state resources to support certain candidates. In addition, there were also indications of mobilization of security forces to defend personal political interests.

”We are suing as a form of our dedication to maintaining sanity, to keeping citizens from despairing of our political behavior, and to maintaining the dreams of all citizens about a more noble Indonesia,” said Ganjar when reading the opening statement of case number 2/PHPU.PRES-XXII/2024 at the Constitutional Court building, Jakarta, Wednesday (27/3/2024).

The hearing, which was attended by presidential and vice-presidential candidate pair number 3, Ganjar Pranowo and Mahfud MD, was led by the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, Suhartoyo. Ganjar-Mahfud was accompanied by 12 legal counsels, including Todung Mulya Lubis and Maqdir Ismail.

The presidential election dispute hearing was also attended by the ranks of leaders of the General Election Commission (KPU), including KPU Chairman Hasyim Asy'ari and KPU members, August Melaz, Mochammad Afifuddin, and Betty Epsilon Idroos, who were accompanied by legal counsels.

As the party providing information, namely the Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu), was represented by Bawaslu Chairman Rahmat Bagja and Bawaslu members, Totok Hariyono and Lolly Suhenty.

Meanwhile, the related party in the case, namely presidential and vice-presidential candidate pair number 2, Prabowo-Gibran, was represented by a team of legal counsels consisting of several figures, including Yusril Ihza Mahendra, Otto Hasibuan, Hotman Paris, Fahri Bachmid, OC Kaligis, and Rivai Kusumanegara.

“We are filing this lawsuit as a form of our dedication to maintaining sanity, to prevent citizens from losing hope in our political behavior, and to maintain the dreams of all citizens for a more noble Indonesia.”

Ganjar-Mahfud Hope the Constitutional Court Will Make a Landmark Decision

According to Mahfud, the Constitutional Court (MK) must have the courage to make a monumental decision by penetrating the realm of substantive justice, not just limited to procedural justice. In particular, the Constitutional Court has a great responsibility because it is the party that introduced the concept of structured, systematic, and massive (TSM) violations that have been adopted in the legal system in Indonesia.

He emphasized that there should be no perception, or even habit, that election results can only be won by parties who have power or are close to power and have abundant financial resources. Mahfud hopes that the Constitutional Court will have the courage to annul the election results that are suspected of being carried out fraudulently and violating procedures. As an example, Mahfud mentioned that the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court in several countries such as Australia, Ukraine, Bolivia, Kenya, Malawi, and Thailand have also annulled election results in several cases.

Mahfud understands that it is not easy for constitutional judges to make decisions in cases of disputes over presidential election results. However, he argued that the Constitutional Court must take important steps to save the future of democracy and law in Indonesia.

”Don't let there be a perception or even a habit that elections can only be won by those who have power or are close to power and have abundant money. If this is allowed to happen, it means our civilization is regressing,” he said.