MPR Apologises for Judging Error in Quiz Competition
Deputy Chairman of the People’s Consultative Assembly, Abcandra Muhammad Akbar Supramatman, has acknowledged the judging error in the MPR Quiz Competition held in Pontianak, West Kalimantan. As MPR leadership, he conveyed an apology and committed to making improvements.
“This is indeed a mistake and serves as a note for evaluation of its implementation. Considering the event received good enthusiasm from student participants, we as leaders apologise for the incident,” Abcandra said when contacted on Monday, 11 May 2026.
The son of Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas stated that the MPR, through its General Secretariat, would follow up on the irregularities in the judging panel’s assessment. He regretted the judges’ actions, which did not reflect sportsmanship in the competition.
Moreover, he said he had received information that similar incidents had occurred in previous Four Pillars Quiz Competitions in other provinces. “I see that this Quiz Competition needs to be evaluated to make it better. There should be no more incidents like this,” Abcandra said.
The final round of the MPR Four Pillars Quiz Competition on 9 May 2026 sparked controversy because the judging panel did not provide fair assessment to two finalist teams. The incident began when three finalists—SMA Negeri 1 Pontianak, SMA Negeri 1 Sambas, and SMA Negeri 1 Sanggau—competed to answer the question: “In selecting BPK members, the DPR must consider input from which institution?”
Team C from SMAN 1 Pontianak answered first, stating that members of the Financial Audit Board are selected by the House of Representatives, considering input from the Regional Representative Council, and inaugurated by the President.
Judge Dyastasita deemed the answer insufficiently precise and awarded minus 5 points. Dyastasita is the Head of the Assessment Bureau of the MPR General Secretariat.
The same question was then posed again to the forum, and Team B, SMA N 1 Sambas, took the opportunity to answer that members of the Financial Audit Board are selected by the House of Representatives, considering input from the Regional Representative Council, and inaugurated by the President.
The judges ruled this answer correct and awarded SMA N 1 Sambas 10 points. This prompted protests from participants of SMAN 1 Pontianak, who had given the same answer first.
However, the judges reasoned that SMA N 1 Pontianak did not mention the words “input from DPD”. This was refuted by Team C participants. The debate went viral on social media after a clip of the judging was re-uploaded by users.
One judging panel member, Indri Wahyuni, emphasised the importance of accuracy in participants’ articulation when delivering answers. “Articulation is important. The judges assess based on what is clearly heard. If it is not heard clearly, the judges have the right to deduct points,” said Indri Wahyuni.
According to the MPR website, Indri Wahyuni currently serves as Head of the Secretariat of the MPR Socialisation Board. MPR General Secretary Siti Fauziah stated that her office is investigating the details of the judging controversy in the competition.
The MPR, according to Siti, will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the technical aspects of the competition to promote a transparent and accountable judging system. Several aspects to be evaluated include the judging mechanism, clarity of answer articulation, answer verification system, and handling of objections in the competition.
“Public input will be an important evaluation material to maintain the quality of activities and public trust in the inclusive, educational, and integrity-driven process of national learning,” Siti said in a written message on Monday evening.