Candidates will have dialog, not debate, KPU says
Candidates will have dialog, not debate, KPU says
Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta
In contrast to the mudslinging in televised meet-the candidates contests overseas, Indonesia's presidential aspirants will engage in a more sedate "dialog," -- not a debate -- the General Elections Commission (KPU) said.
The dialogs planned on June 30 and July 1 will see the candidates being questioned by a four-member panel, which will be selected by the KPU. But although the candidates will not debate one another, as many had hoped, the public will be able to watch the event live ahead of casting their vote on July 5.
"Indonesia has never had the (debate) experience," commission member Valina Singka Subekti said on Wednesday. She said the "dialog" was created to avoid "any of the candidates discrediting the other".
The rules of the dialog had been agreed to by the five candidates' campaign teams, which also includes selecting the attendants of the sessions, she said.
Each panelist would get to ask two "constructive and intelligent" questions, Valina said. The panelists would be experts in a range of different fields.
Each candidate will get five minutes to present their visions and policies. Another 50 minutes has been allocated for questions and answers, while the last 10 minutes will allow the vice presidential candidates to make a closing statement.
The live broadcast from the Borobudur Hotel in Central Jakarta will be aired by public broadcasters TVRI, RRI radio and Swara TV, along with other private stations.
It was earlier expected there would be a more adversarial forum as all candidates had said they would happily engage in presidential debates. Most candidates have already warmed up for the process on television talk shows.
Even President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is less accesible to the media compared to her predecessors, Abdurrahman Wahid and B.J. Habibie, has started to give television interviews.
Megawati and running mate Hasyim Muzadi will appear before the panel on June 30, along with Amien Rais and Siswono Yudohusodo.
On July 1, it will be the turn of Gen. (ret) Wiranto and Solahuddin Wahid; Gen. (ret) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla; and Hamzah Haz and Gen. (ret) Agum Gumelar.
The dates were drawn randomly on Wednesday at the KPU office by members of the presidential campaign teams.
Also on Wednesday, the KPU announced it had appointed four more printing firms to print ballot papers in a bid to reach the deadline ahead of the July 5 election day.
Official Hamid Awaluddin, who heads the ballot paper printing procurement, said the firms were PT Pentagraph, the State Securities Paper and Bank Note Printing Company (Peruri), PT Persada Utama Tirta Lestari, and PT Dharma Anugerah Indah. The companies had undergone a tough screening process and a field check had been made, Hamid said.
The KPU has been criticized for oversights and accused of corruption during its tender process for the April 5 legislative election after firms charged with printing ballots turned out to be unfit for the job. Some 160 million ballot papers will be printed for the July poll at the price of Rp 95 a paper, a total cost of Rp 15.2 billion.
Meanwhile, executives from several firms that had printed ballots for the April election said they could print the papers for July for between Rp 40 to Rp 75 per paper.
The KPU first appointed four firms to print ballot papers for the presidential election late last month.