Candidates polish up to look good on screen

Candidates polish up to look good on screen

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta

In the run-up to the 30-day presidential campaign, television
viewers were given the rare opportunity to watch presidential
candidates try to outwit one another in a series of televised
debates and special programs outlining their respective
platforms.

During the programs, candidates also took questions from the
audience that sometimes touched on sensitive issues.

In what in many ways was an unprecedented development, some
presidential candidates fielded questions from audience members
that were tough and sometimes personal.

Candidate Hamzah Haz, for example, was asked by a female
student during a recorded program, "How many wives do you have
sir". The current vice president appeared indecisive and
indirectly replied that he had two wives. However, Hamzah is said
to have four wives.

In another program, TV panelists were given the microphone and
proceeded to criticize some of the candidates' campaign themes,
such as shooting corruptors.

However, what appeared on the television screen often belied
what went on behind the scenes.

The debates were in fact well staged by the television
stations, at times with help from the campaign teams of the
respective presidential candidates.

A debate organizer at Trans TV said she had to send lists of
questions for screening by the presidential candidates before the
debates were taped.

"They apparently did not want to have difficult questions
sprung on them," she told The Jakarta Post.

However, she said not all of the candidates imposed such
conditions.

"As far as I am concerned, only Wiranto imposed tough
conditions. A member of his campaign team even asked us to scrap
questions from Munir," she said, referring to a noted human
rights activist and a staunch critic of the Indonesian Military.

She added that members of Wiranto's campaign team also
intervened in the editing of the taped debate.

Wiranto's camp also reportedly disapproved of the inclusion of
sociologist Imam Prasodjo as a panelist at a talk show organized
by RCTI. Wiranto denied that he made such a request regarding the
vocal scholar.

Aside from the demands of the Wiranto team, Trans TV
apparently did not have any problems staging the debates.

In collaboration with a number of state universities across
Java, the television station was able to present a lively series
of presidential debates.

Rosiana Silalahi of SCTV said conditions imposed by the
candidates would not compromise her station's commitment to
portraying them as they are.

"Before deciding whether or not to attend the presidential
debate, the candidates usually ask us such questions as whether
it will be live or recorded and who will be sitting on the
panel," she told the Post.

Rosiana said that none of presidential candidates or their
campaign teams were allowed to interfere in the editing of the
debates.

"We have to give equal treatment to all candidates. Once we
let one candidate take part in the editing, we would have to give
other candidates the same opportunity. We have decided not to
give any of them this opportunity, and they understood that," she
said.

Rosiana, who is also the anchorwoman for the news program
Liputan 6, said most of the candidates were very careful about
preparing for the debates to avoid being portrayed as incapable
of holding the presidency.

"You have to be careful too, when reporters interviewing you
are from newspapers with huge readerships," she said.

She said the televised debates and other election-related news
programs fared well.

"In terms of ratings, the number of viewers can be considered
high."