JAKARTA. As the hearing on the July 9 presidential election dispute approaches its denouement at the Constitutional Court, the camp of losing candidate Prabowo Subianto vowed that if the court ruled in favor of president-elect Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, it would not acquiesce. One of Prabowo’s team of lawyers, Habiburokhman, said Tuesday that it could not be held responsible for any possible action taken by Prabowo’s disappointed supporters, who have stepped up their street protests in the past few days. Of late, supporters of the Prabowo-Hatta Rajasa presidential ticket have grown volatile and have begun making threats, including verbally abusing General Elections Commission (KPU) chairman Husni Kamil Manik and vowing to torch the offices of news station Metro TV, which is owned by Surya Paloh, whose NasDem Party supported Jokowi’s presidential nomination. “If we tell them not to take action, then what will happen is a fake reconciliation [with Jokowi]. These people may get frustrated and they could explode at any time,” Habiburokhman said. “So, we won’t push for reconciliation if it’s not genuine.” His statement echoed that of Prabowo’s brother, tycoon Hashim Djojohadikusumo, who previously said there would be no reconciliation with Jokowi’s camp after the court delivered its ruling, which is expected on Thursday. “There will never be reconciliation,” Hasyim said. Habiburokhman, when asked what Prabowo’s supporters could do to express their disappointment, said they were free to do what they thought was right because they lived in a democracy. “We don’t live under the New Order regime anymore. So, if there is injustice, then go ahead and respond [to the injustice], as long as it is within the law,” he said. Last week, Muhammad Taufik, a former graft convict and chairman of the Jakarta chapter of Prabowo’s Gerindra Party, allegedly threatened to kidnap the KPU’s chairman, Husni, if the police failed to arrest him for allowing massive fraud to take place during the presidential election. Then last Friday, hundreds of Prabowo supporters staged a rally in front of the Constitutional Court and chanted threats against Metro TV, saying they would burn it down. The demonstrators said that Metro TV deserved such treatment for its ridiculing of Prabowo throughout the presidential campaign. In recent days, the protesters have upped the ante by burning tires and blocking traffic on the road in front of the court. Many have speculated that the same protesters have also targeted other institutions, including the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), whose headquarters is located less then a kilometer away from the court. Jokowi’s campaign team member, Eva Kusuma Sundari, said on Tuesday that she was growing increasingly concerned by the possibility that Prabowo’s camp would not concede defeat, even though the Constitutional Court — the country’s highest judicial institution — had accommodated its demand and reviewed its lawsuit according to the law. “It will be an embarrassment if in this democratic country, which is founded on law and justice, a decision by the Constitutional Court is not accepted,” she told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. Eva said that Jokowi had in fact offered a reconciliation plan to Prabowo’s camp on a number of occasions, only to be rejected each time. “They initially said they were declining the offer because they wanted to seek justice. But once the legal means have been exhausted and the result does not suit them, they still refuse [to let go],” Eva said. The court is currently verifying the evidence submitted by both Prabowo’s legal team and the KPU. Prabowo’s lawyers submitted on Tuesday more than 5,000 pages of documentation to the court. Apparently, the documents were not new evidence for the lawsuit, but contained conclusions from hearings at the court to date. Prabowo’s legal team has been criticized by the court’s justices for presenting uncorroborated evidence and witnesses offering conflicting testimonies. One of the highlights from the court’s proceedings was when one of the witnesses for Prabowo’s camp, Novela Mawipa, claimed she was just a simple village girl from the mountains who supported Prabowo. It was later discovered that Novela was a failed legislative candidate and Gerindra’s chairperson for Paniai regency in Papua. Prabowo’s team has pledged that their fight will not end in the courtroom. “We will not be bound solely by the [Constitutional Court’s] ruling. There’s also the political arena. An inquiry committee [Pansus] will be set up at the House of Representatives. There is also [Prabowo’s] permanent coalition, which will oppose everything [the ruling government proposes],” Habiburokhman said. (Hans Nicholas Jong)
Prabowo won’t go quietly
JAKARTA. As the hearing on the July 9 presidential election dispute approaches its denouement at the Constitutional Court, the camp of losing candidate Prabowo Subianto vowed that if the court ruled in favor of president-elect Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, it would not acquiesce. One of Prabowo’s team of lawyers, Habiburokhman, said Tuesday that it could not be held responsible for any possible action taken by Prabowo’s disappointed supporters, who have stepped up their street protests in the past few days. Of late, supporters of the Prabowo-Hatta Rajasa presidential ticket have grown volatile and have begun making threats, including verbally abusing General Elections Commission (KPU) chairman Husni Kamil Manik and vowing to torch the offices of news station Metro TV, which is owned by Surya Paloh, whose NasDem Party supported Jokowi’s presidential nomination. “If we tell them not to take action, then what will happen is a fake reconciliation [with Jokowi]. These people may get frustrated and they could explode at any time,” Habiburokhman said. “So, we won’t push for reconciliation if it’s not genuine.” His statement echoed that of Prabowo’s brother, tycoon Hashim Djojohadikusumo, who previously said there would be no reconciliation with Jokowi’s camp after the court delivered its ruling, which is expected on Thursday. “There will never be reconciliation,” Hasyim said. Habiburokhman, when asked what Prabowo’s supporters could do to express their disappointment, said they were free to do what they thought was right because they lived in a democracy. “We don’t live under the New Order regime anymore. So, if there is injustice, then go ahead and respond [to the injustice], as long as it is within the law,” he said. Last week, Muhammad Taufik, a former graft convict and chairman of the Jakarta chapter of Prabowo’s Gerindra Party, allegedly threatened to kidnap the KPU’s chairman, Husni, if the police failed to arrest him for allowing massive fraud to take place during the presidential election. Then last Friday, hundreds of Prabowo supporters staged a rally in front of the Constitutional Court and chanted threats against Metro TV, saying they would burn it down. The demonstrators said that Metro TV deserved such treatment for its ridiculing of Prabowo throughout the presidential campaign. In recent days, the protesters have upped the ante by burning tires and blocking traffic on the road in front of the court. Many have speculated that the same protesters have also targeted other institutions, including the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), whose headquarters is located less then a kilometer away from the court. Jokowi’s campaign team member, Eva Kusuma Sundari, said on Tuesday that she was growing increasingly concerned by the possibility that Prabowo’s camp would not concede defeat, even though the Constitutional Court — the country’s highest judicial institution — had accommodated its demand and reviewed its lawsuit according to the law. “It will be an embarrassment if in this democratic country, which is founded on law and justice, a decision by the Constitutional Court is not accepted,” she told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. Eva said that Jokowi had in fact offered a reconciliation plan to Prabowo’s camp on a number of occasions, only to be rejected each time. “They initially said they were declining the offer because they wanted to seek justice. But once the legal means have been exhausted and the result does not suit them, they still refuse [to let go],” Eva said. The court is currently verifying the evidence submitted by both Prabowo’s legal team and the KPU. Prabowo’s lawyers submitted on Tuesday more than 5,000 pages of documentation to the court. Apparently, the documents were not new evidence for the lawsuit, but contained conclusions from hearings at the court to date. Prabowo’s legal team has been criticized by the court’s justices for presenting uncorroborated evidence and witnesses offering conflicting testimonies. One of the highlights from the court’s proceedings was when one of the witnesses for Prabowo’s camp, Novela Mawipa, claimed she was just a simple village girl from the mountains who supported Prabowo. It was later discovered that Novela was a failed legislative candidate and Gerindra’s chairperson for Paniai regency in Papua. Prabowo’s team has pledged that their fight will not end in the courtroom. “We will not be bound solely by the [Constitutional Court’s] ruling. There’s also the political arena. An inquiry committee [Pansus] will be set up at the House of Representatives. There is also [Prabowo’s] permanent coalition, which will oppose everything [the ruling government proposes],” Habiburokhman said. (Hans Nicholas Jong)
