Aceh – Indonesia, Banda Aceh – Muhammad Saman officially registered as a candidate for Chairman of the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) Aceh for the 2026-2031 period on the first day of registration, Monday (10/5/2026).
Muhammad Saman arrived at the Secretariat of the PWI Aceh Provincial Conference (Konferprov) Committee at around 3:00 PM WIB to collect the registration form and sign up as a candidate for chairman of the journalists’ organization.
At the same time, Tarmilin Usman also collected the form and registered as a candidate for Chairman of the PWI Aceh Provincial Honor Board (DKP) for the 2026-2031 period.
The arrival of both candidates was welcomed by the Secretary of the Steering Committee (SC) of the PWI Aceh Konferprov, Iranda Novandi, alongside Imran Joni from the Candidate Verification Working Group, and Organizing Committee (OC) Chairman Nazar Ahadi. Also present to accompany the registration process was the Chairman of the PWI Aceh DKP, HT Anwar Ibrahim.
Registration for candidates for Chairman of PWI Aceh and Chairman of the PWI Aceh DKP is officially open from October 5 to October 24, 2026. This schedule was established after the Steering Committee held a finalization meeting at the PWI Aceh Office on Friday (10/2/2026).
Muhammad Saman is no stranger to the PWI Aceh organizational structure. He previously served as Deputy Secretary of PWI Aceh for the 2015-2020 period and currently serves as Vice Chairman for Welfare Affairs for the 2021-2026 term.
This extensive experience reflects Saman’s active involvement in PWI Aceh’s organizational dynamics for over a decade.
Throughout his journalistic career, Muhammad Saman, who holds the Principal Journalist (Wartawan Utama) competency certification from the Press Council, served as a journalist for Harian Analisa and currently works as Chief Editor for the online news outlets Infoaceh.net and Harian Aceh.
Previously, Saman was trusted to lead the SMSI Aceh Chief Editors Forum and served as Vice Chairman for Cooperation at SMSI Aceh for the 2026-2030 period. He is also a former Secretary-General of the Caucus of Journalists Concerned with Islamic Sharia (KWPSI).
This track record forms part of the organizational and journalistic experience Saman brings into the upcoming election for PWI Aceh Chairman.
The screening process for candidates for PWI Aceh Chairman and DKP Chairman for the 2026-2031 period will last nearly three weeks, from October 5 to October 24, 2026.
The Steering Committee previously explained that candidates who register must fulfill several requirements as mandated by the PWI’s Basic Rules/Bylaws (PD/PRT) and Organizational Rules (PO).
One crucial requirement is obtaining initial support from at least 10 percent of the total voter roll (DPT) attending the Konferprov.
Based on the provisional voter list (DPS) reported by the committee, the total number of voters is around 320. Consequently, the minimum threshold for candidate support is set at 32 full members of PWI Aceh.
The support letters must be signed directly by supporting members and accompanied by a copy of their full PWI membership card or blue card.
In addition to support requirements, candidates must fulfill several administrative criteria. These include a Principal Journalist competency certificate and card, a statement certifying non-involvement or active role in any political party, a curriculum vitae, passphoto, a letter from their employing news outlet, and documents verifying past or present PWI leadership roles.
Candidates are also required to sign an integrity pact set by the committee.
The PWI Aceh Konferprov, which serves as the electoral forum for electing the PWI Aceh Chairman for the 2026-2031 period, is scheduled for the third week of November 2026.
Once the registration period closes, candidates’ administrative files will undergo a verification process. The committee stated that the names of registered applicants will be submitted to the central PWI Board for re-verification and official certification as candidates.(rao)