Education Department Summons SMA 1 Pontianak Over MPR Quiz Controversy

The West Kalimantan Education and Culture Department (Disdikbud) has spoken out regarding the controversy over the judges’ scoring in the 4 Pillars MPR RI Quiz Competition at the provincial level.

Acting Head of Disdikbud West Kalimantan, Syarif Faisal Indahmawan Alkadrie, stated that they have summoned the principal of SMA 1 Pontianak along with the quiz support team to discuss the matter.

“We have already summoned the principal of SMA 1 Pontianak and the support team regarding this issue,” Faisal said on Monday (11/5), quoted from detikKalimantan.

Faisal urged all parties to continue following the applicable official procedures in the competition. He suggested that the school submit a request for re-examination to the organising committee.

According to Faisal, the 4 Pillars Quiz is a national agenda directly organised by the People’s Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia (MPR RI), so the mechanism for resolving objections lies with the organisers.

“Since this is an event from MPR RI, there are certainly mechanisms and provisions that must be followed,” he said.

Faisal emphasised that, in principle, the SMA 1 Pontianak side accepts the competition results. However, he believes that evaluation is still important to ensure similar incidents do not recur in future competitions.

“We resolve it according to the competition provisions, and all parties must demonstrate sportsmanlike conduct,” he stated.

The 4 Pillars MPR RI Quiz is an annual event held to enhance students’ understanding of national values, namely Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution, the Unitary Republic of Indonesia (NKRI), and Bhinneka Tunggal Ika. The competition is participated in by various high schools and equivalent institutions from different regions nationwide.

From the MPRGOID YouTube video broadcast live on 9 May 2026, the controversial moment began in the buzzer question-and-answer session. At that time, the host posed a question about the mechanism for selecting members of the Financial Audit Board (BPK).

“BPK leaders are elected from and by members. However, to become a BPK member, ties to regional representation are still maintained. In selecting BPK members, the DPR is required to consider input from which institution?”

Team C, representing SMA 1 Pontianak, responded by pressing the buzzer first and providing their answer.

“Members of the Financial Audit Board are selected by the House of Representatives, taking into account considerations from the Regional Representative Council, and inaugurated by the President,” said one representative from Team C.

The Head of the Constitutional Assessment Bureau of the MPR RI Secretariat, Dyastasita Widya Budi, acting as a judge, gave a score deduction of minus five because Team C’s answer was deemed incorrect.

The opportunity to answer automatically shifted. Team B from SMA 1 Sambas then took over and gave the same answer as Team C.

“Members of the Financial Audit Board are selected by the House of Representatives, taking into account considerations from the Regional Representative Council, and inaugurated by the President,” said a representative from Team B.

However, this time the judge awarded 10 points, considering the answer correct.

“Yes, the essence of the answer is already correct. Score 10,” said Dyastasita.

Feeling there was an error, students from SMA 1 Pontianak immediately raised an interruption. They felt their answer was the same as Team B’s.

“Permission, earlier we answered the same as Team B. The same,” protested a representative from Team C.

In response to the objection, Dyastasita stood firm in defending her decision, claiming that Team C missed an important element in their answer.

“Earlier, for Team C, the consideration from the DPD was not mentioned. DPR was mentioned. So the judging panel opined that there was no mention of the Regional Representative Council,”

The situation heated up when another judge, Head of the Secretariat Section of the MPR Socialisation Agency, Indri Wahyuni, made a statement that provoked netizens’ anger. She instead reminded participants to use good articulation when answering.

“Like this, right, it has been warned from the beginning, articulation is important. So get used to answering with clear articulation. If you think it’s already clear, but the judging panel assesses it as unclear because they didn’t hear your articulation clearly, that means the judging panel has the right to give a -5 score. So once again, we warn to pay attention to articulation,” said Indri Wahyuni.