KPU announces runoff debate format
KPU announces runoff debate format
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
If the public dialogs in the first round of the presidential
election were considered weak and not bold enough, things would
be worse in the runoff, as the General Elections Commission (KPU)
has issued a limited, watered-down format for official debates.
KPU member Hamid Awaluddin said on Tuesday that for the
election runoff, candidates would only face individually a board
of panelists in a staged discussion.
He said that in amendments to KPU Ruling No. 35/2003 on
presidential campaigns, commission members had agreed that in the
three-day campaign period for the runoff, no dialogs nor debates
between Megawati Soekarnoputri-Hasyim Muzadi and Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono-Jusuf Kalla would be held.
"After hearing inputs from the candidates' campaign teams, we
have decided that no debate will be staged during the (runoff)
campaign. Instead, the candidate pairs will take turns in
answering questions from only four panelists," Hamid told
reporters here.
Incumbent Megawati Soekarnoputri and running mate Hasyim
Muzadi will face her former coordinating minister for political
and security affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and running mate
Jusuf Kalla in the Sept. 20 election runoff.
During the campaign period ahead of the July 5 election, the
five presidential candidates, who were split into two groups,
shared the stage and were allowed to comment on statements by
other candidates.
Hamid said the commission would arrange the dialog as it did
in the previous campaign period, when candidates would appear
according to assigned schedules.
The two candidates and their running mates are to make their
first appearances on Sept. 14 to speak at length about their
programs on political, legal and human rights issues. The
following day, they are to speak of economics policies and social
welfare issues, while the last day of campaigning would focus on
social, cultural and religious issues.
"All television stations will be given full access to
broadcast the dialog," Hamid said.
The commission is also considering giving the two campaign
teams a say in the selection of panelists.
"We have two alternatives for selecting the panelists. The
first is for the KPU to come up with 12 potential panelists and
the campaign teams make a selection, while the second is to ask
the campaign teams to nominate 12 individuals and we select four
of them," Hamid said.
Due to the short campaign period, the KPU also plans to give
more time and space for candidates to appear in national media.
The KPU was criticized earlier for turning down calls from
independent election observers to extend the three-day campaign
period stipulated in the Presidential Elections Law.
Observers said a restricted campaign would infringe upon the
candidates' and their supporters' right to free speech and
further deny the people their right to learn about the
candidates' political platforms.
Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro) executive director Smita
Notosusanto lambasted the KPU's latest decision, saying it was a
major setback and inconsistent with any other electoral system in
the world.
"The KPU already reduced the meaning of a campaign when they
decided it would last only three days. Now that they have issued
this decision, the campaign will be even more meaningless," she
told The Jakarta Post.
Smita said the decision was prompted by the commission's
reluctance to work harder to educate voters.
She warned that successive decisions made by the KPU that
diminished the value of campaigning could be dangerous.
"The essence of direct presidential elections is that voters
elect candidates based on information they've received. If this
information is lacking, due to the absence of debates and a
shortened campaign period, they could elect someone without
sufficient knowledge," she said.