Controversy in West Kalimantan's Quiz Competition: MPR Deactivates Jury and Proposal Emerges to Repeat the Event

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The controversy surrounding the judging in the Final Quiz Competition (LCC) of the Four Pillars of the MPR RI 2026 at the West Kalimantan provincial level has had prolonged repercussions. Following a video of the debate between participants and the judging panel that went viral on social media, the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) of the Republic of Indonesia deactivated the judging panel and the master of ceremonies (MC) for the event. Amid public scrutiny, several MPR RI members have called for a thorough evaluation. Proposals have even emerged to repeat the West Kalimantan level competition to ensure a sense of justice for the participants. In its official statement, the MPR RI acknowledged lapses in the judging process of the competition. “Regarding the widespread media coverage on social media about the LCC Four Pillars 2026 at the West Kalimantan provincial level, concerning the evaluation of participants’ answers in one of the competition sessions, the organising committee from the MPR RI General Secretariat has deactivated the Judging Panel and MC for this LCC activity,” read the official MPR statement quoted from the Instagram account @mprgoid, Tuesday (12/5/2026). The MPR also extended apologies for the controversy that occurred. It emphasised that educational and youth development activities must uphold sportsmanship, objectivity, justice, and a constructive learning spirit. Therefore, the institution assured that it would conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the competition’s implementation, including the judging mechanism and the participants’ objection system. “The MPR RI will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the technical aspects of the competition’s implementation, including the judging mechanism, the verification system for participants’ answers, and the management of objections in the competition, so that future implementations can proceed even better, transparently, and accountably,” stated the MPR. Deputy Speaker of the DPR and MPR RI member Cucun Ahmad Syamsurijal criticised the jury selection process in the competition. Cucun urged the MPR RI General Secretariat to evaluate the jury appointment process to prevent similar occurrences. “Yes, I am addressing that; it must not happen again. Evaluation at the MPR General Secretariat, appointing a jury where the same answer gets different scores,” said Cucun during a press conference at the DPR RI Building, Tuesday (12/5/2026).