Presidential candidates seek public debate rules<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Presidential candidates have expressed their support for a public
\ndebate ahead of the election to present their political
\nplatforms, and have called for detailed rules regarding the
\nstructure and topics of the discourse.<\/p>\n
Respective campaign team officials announced on Friday the
\nreadiness of candidates to take part in the public debate, an
\nunprecedented event in Indonesian politics.<\/p>\n
Sabam Sirait, a senior politician campaigning for Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) presidential aspirant
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri, said Megawati had expressed her interest
\nin participating in such a debate.<\/p>\n
\"The most important thing is that the public debate is well
\norganized. It must be hosted by a non-partisan group,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He added that detailed rules on the debate were needed to
\nensure the forum would not backfire on the country's maturing
\ndemocracy.<\/p>\n
The General Elections Commission (KPU) is drafting a decree on
\npublic debate for presidential candidates, but will not make it
\ncompulsory.<\/p>\n
Sabam, however, was unsure whether Megawati could fulfill all
\ninvitations to various debates, given her tight schedule as party
\nleader and incumbent President.<\/p>\n
Megawati has often been criticized for her poor communication
\nskills, particularly in remaining silent on pertinent issues and
\ncurrent events.<\/p>\n
Citing as example the official announcement of the Megawati-
\nHasyim Muzadi pairing, Sabam said Megawati always took queries
\nfrom journalists and gave responses.<\/p>\n
\"Megawati has been prepared for a public debate from the
\nbeginning,\" he averred.<\/p>\n
M. Hatta, a campaigner of the Golkar Party's presidential
\ncandidate Wiranto, agreed that the public debate should be well-
\nstructured and attended by a broad, representative audience.<\/p>\n
\"The audience must be the general public, not only the
\nsupporters of the candidates,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Separately, Nurhadi Musawir, who will campaign for National
\nMandate Party (PAN) candidate Amien Rais, said a public debate
\nwould help the people to assess the quality of presidential
\nhopefuls.<\/p>\n
Presidential Election Law No. 23\/2003 does not specifically
\nregulate public debate, and only states in Article 36 that
\ncampaigns can be conducted through a public debate or a debate
\namong presidential candidates.<\/p>\n
Article 38 of the law underlines that during campaigns, a
\ncandidate is not allowed to humiliate other people, religions,
\ntribes, races, groups or other presidential candidates and their
\nrunning mates.<\/p>\n
Separately, political analyst and Indonesian Institute of
\nSciences (LIPI) senior researcher Indria Samego said a public
\ndebate would help voters understand the platform, vision and
\nmission of each aspirant.<\/p>\n
\"This will be the first time that our nation holds a direct
\npresidential election, so all candidates must introduce
\nthemselves. A public debate is a means of political
\ncommunication,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sabam suggested that the KPU issue a guideline or regulation
\nto ensure that the debate runs peacefully.<\/p>\n
\"There must be a regulation as to whether the audience is
\nallowed to raise questions during the debate, for example, about
\nthe wealth or other private matters of a candidate,\" Sabam said.<\/p>\n
He added that a regulation would prevent the debate from
\nsparking a national issue.<\/p>\n
The election campaign will run from June 1 to June 30, with
\nthe polls set for July 5. Campaign rules -- Page 2<\/p>",
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