KPU to host candidate face-off
M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta
Marking the end of the month-long presidential campaign, all the presidential candidates will finally take part in a public dialog together in an event hosted by the General Elections Commission (KPU) on Wednesday and Thursday (not Tuesday and Wednesday as earlier reported).
Presidential candidate, the incumbent Megawati Soekarnoputri and her running mate Hasyim Muzadi will take on the pair of Amien Rais and Siswono Yudohusodo on Wednesday. The order of the candidates' appearance was determined in a lottery at the KPU.
On Thursday, the last day of campaigning, the session will feature the duo of Gen. (ret) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his teammate Jusuf Kalla, going head to head with Gen. (ret) Wiranto and Solahuddin Wahid as well as the pairing of Hamzah Haz and Agum Gumelar.
The KPU said that unlike the simple promises made during the campaign period, "The candidates must explain what they would focus on how they will achieve their goals if they are elected," KPU member Hamid Awaludin said.
During the month-long campaigning period which will conclude on Thursday, almost all television channels, in collaboration with other institutions, have staged partial presidential debates, but none of them managed to bring all the candidates out into one forum and demand that they reveal their plans.
The dialog will see the candidates questioned by a four-member panel. They will comprise Rector of Semarang's Diponegoro University Eko Budiharjo, the Dean of University of Indonesia's economics department Aditiawan Chandra, criminal law expert Harkristuti Harkrisnowo and political analyst Ikrar Nusa Bhakti of the Indonesian Institute for Sciences (LIPI).
Former anchorwoman Ira Koesno will be the moderator. KPU rules that the moderator may not represent any media.
The dialog is not mandatory for the candidates and there will be no penalties for skipping out.
"However, we will keep the podium for the absent candidate on the stage, so that the public will know which candidates declined our invitation," Hamid said.
SCTV and Trans TV have planned to air the dialog live on the condition that all the candidates attend, while other broadcasters will air the event on tape-delayed basis.
Three radio stations, state-owned RRI, Radio 68H and Elshinta will also broadcast it live.
The KPU has said the event would cost about US$65,000.
Although questions have been prepared according to four main themes, a panelist said he would raise "surprising" questions for the candidates, but did not elaborate.