DELI SERDANG – The United Citizens Forum of North Sumatra (FWB Sumut) staged a peaceful protest in front of the Labuhan Deli District Office on Jalan Veteran No. 21, Labuhan Deli District, Deli Serdang Regency, North Sumatra, on Tuesday (May 26, 2026).
During the demonstration, the masses voiced strong concerns over an alleged lack of transparency in the 2026 village development apparatus recruitment process (PPPSD) for Pematang Johar Village.
FWB Sumut specifically highlighted the administrative rejection of several prospective candidates on the grounds that they lacked prior electoral or voting management experience. They pointed out that based on Deli Serdang Regent Regulation (Perbupati) Number 64 of 2021, Article 19, paragraph (4), electoral experience is not officially listed as a mandatory requirement in the PPPSD recruitment process.
According to FWB Sumut, if electoral experience is to be used as a basis for disqualifying applicants, such a provision must possess a clear legal foundation, maintain full transparency, and be communicated to the public from the very beginning. They argued that the ambiguity surrounding these unwritten additional requirements could give rise to allegations of nepotism and discrimination within the selection process.
In their official statement, FWB Sumut also invoked several higher legal frameworks, including Article 28E paragraph (3) of the 1945 Constitution, Law Number 9 of 1998 on Freedom of Expressing Opinions in Public, Law Number 14 of 2008 on Public Information Openness, and Law Number 30 of 2014 on Government Administration.
Through this demonstration, the crowd urged the Deli Serdang Regency Village and Community Empowerment Office (DPMD), the Labuhan Deli District authorities, and the Acting (Pj) Head of Pematang Johar Village to conduct a thorough and comprehensive evaluation of the ongoing PPPSD recruitment process.
The protesters’ aspirations were formally received by the Head of Peace and Public Order (Kasi Trantib) of Labuhan Deli District, Agus S. Hutabarat. He stated that the district administration acknowledges the demands raised by the residents and students of Pematang Johar Village and will follow up on them in accordance with established mechanisms and applicable regulations.
Action Coordinator Ilham Arifin, alongside Field Coordinator Alwi Hadad, firmly asserted that the protest was driven purely by the need to uphold justice and restore public trust in the selection system.
“This struggle is not for personal gain or the interests of any specific group. It is entirely for the sake of creating justice, openness, and maintaining public confidence in a clean and transparent selection process,” they emphasized.
FWB Sumut also urged the Head of the Deli Serdang DPMD and the Labuhan Deli District Head (Camat) to intervene directly, supervise, and review the structural integrity of the PPPSD recruitment process in Pematang Johar Village.
The demonstrators warned that they would mobilize a follow-up protest with a significantly larger crowd if their demands are not addressed with serious and concrete actions.
Up until the publication of this report, media representatives are actively attempting to contact the Labuhan Deli District Head to obtain official confirmation and ensure balanced coverage regarding this developing issue.
The recruitment of village apparatus and development staff (PPPSD) in North Sumatra has increasingly come under intense public scrutiny as local communities demand greater accountability in grassroots governance.
Under Law Number 6 of 2014 concerning Villages, village administrations are granted substantial fiscal autonomy through Village Funds (Dana Desa), rendering the selection of qualified, uncorrupted village personnel critical for effective regional development.
In Deli Serdang Regency, the administrative framework governing village recruitment is tightly bound to Regional and Regent Regulations to prevent local executives from engaging in subjective hiring practices.
Legal experts note that inserting unpromulgated criteria mid-selection—such as mandatory electoral experience—not only breaches administrative procedures but also violates the spirit of equal opportunity in governance as mandated by the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri).
To counter systemic issues of nepotism at the village level, various civil society organizations across North Sumatra are actively monitoring public sector hiring.
Public administration watchdogs emphasize that clean local governance must begin with flawless compliance during initial recruitment phases, warning that structural discrepancies at the village level can lead to widespread distrust in higher regency-level administrations.
Source: TribuSumut
