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Villages minister in hot water over regional election meddling
The Constitutional Court found Villages and Regional Development Minister Yandri Susanto guilty of abusing his ministerial authority to help his wife win a regental poll in Banten during the 2024 simultaneous regional elections.
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National Mandate Party (PAN) deputy chair Yandri Susanto (left) smiles on Oct. 14, 2024, as he walks with Gerindra Party executive chair Sufmi Dasco Ahmad (right) after arriving at the residence of President Prabowo Subianto in South Jakarta. (Antara Foto/Aprillio Akbar)
T
he administration of President Prabowo Subianto is facing growing calls from activists for the dismissal of Villages and Regional Development Minister Yandri Susanto after the Constitutional Court found him to have abused his authority to help his wife win the regional leader election in November last year.
On Monday, the court ruled in favor of the plaintiff in an election dispute challenging the victory of Yandri’s wife Ratu Rachmatu Zakiyah in the Serang regent election in Banten. The plaintiff, losing candidate pair Andika Hazrumy and Nanang Supriatna, accused Ratu’s camp of committing “structural, systematic and massive fraud” that helped her win the election.
In its ruling, the justices considered that Yandi was proven of “hosting and attending events in which he mobilized village heads” to support Ratu, compromising the neutrality of local officials whom the court saw as having significant roles in wooing voters in their respective villages.
Among the events mentioned by the justices was a meeting of the Serang branch of the All-Indonesian Village Administration Association (Apdesi) at a hotel in Anyer beach on Oct. 3 of last year. During the meeting, the head of Apdesi’s local branch reportedly asked attendees to pledge their support for Ratu.
“It is undeniable that the actions of Yandri Susanto as [a minister] can significantly influence the attitudes of village heads who receive benefits in the form of activities and programs from the ministry,” Justice Enny Nurbaningsih said during a hearing on Monday.
The court ordered a revote within 60 days after Monday’s hearing in the regental election, canceling the victory of Ratu, who ran in the regional election on the ticket of the National Mandate Party (PAN)--in which Yandri is a high-ranking official–and other parties in the ruling Onward Indonesia Coalition (KIM).
Human rights group Lokataru Foundation submitted a formal letter requesting that Prabowo dismiss the villages minister, citing the court ruling on the election dispute. The letter was sent through the State Secretariat on Wednesday.
