Indonesian Cabinet denies claims of misused aid

Four Indonesian Cabinet members testified Friday that no rules were violated in the distribution of government aid during the recent election campaign, despite claims by the two losing presidential candidates that it was used for the benefit of the election winner.

Prabowo Subianto won the election with 58.6 percent of the votes, or more than 96 million ballots, more than twice the amount received by each of the two runners-up in the three-way race, according to the General Election Commission.

The losing candidates claimed the election was marred by irregularities and are asking the Constitutional Court to annul the results and order a revote in separate lawsuits.

They said Prabowo’s victory was the result of widespread fraud and that outgoing President Joko Widodo and his administration fixed laws and norms to support Prabowo, with government social aid used as a tool to buy votes.

Indonesian presidents are expected to remain neutral in elections to succeed them, but Prabowo, a former rival of Widodo ran as his successor.

He even chose Widodo’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, as his vice presidential running mate, even though Raka did not meet a constitutional requirement that candidates be at least 40 years old.

Baswedan and Pranowo argue that Raka should have been disqualified and are asking the court to bar him from a revote.

Before the election, Raka was granted a controversial requirement by the Constitutional Court, which was then led by Anwar Usman, Widodo’s brother-in-law.

Usman was later forced to resign as chief justice for failing to recuse himself.

Hefty social aid from the government was disbursed in the middle of the campaign — far more than the amounts spent during the Covid-19 pandemic — and Widodo distributed funds in person in a number of provinces.

A panel of eight Constitutional Court judges summoned Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy, Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Social Affairs Minister

Tri Rismaharini to obtain their dispositions, said Chief Justice Suhartoyo, who, like many Indonesians, uses a single name.

The case will be decided by eight justices instead of the full nine-member court because Usman, who is still on the court as an associate justice, is required to recuse himself.

Prabowo himself went to court twice to challenge the results of the elections he lost to Widodo, but the court rejected his claims as groundless both times.

His refusal to accept the results of the 2019 presidential election led to violence that left seven dead in Jakarta.

The hearing began on March 28 and the verdict, expected on April 22, cannot be appealed.