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.