MPR Awaits Official Letter from SMA Pontianak Regarding Refusal to Participate in Revised Quiz Competition

The MPR has responded after SMA 1 Pontianak declined to participate in the re-run of the 4 Pillars Quiz Competition at the West Kalimantan provincial level, which was prompted by a viral controversy surrounding the judging process.

MPR Deputy Chairman Eddy Soeparno stated that they respect the school’s decision. However, he added that they will wait for an official letter regarding the matter.

Eddy also mentioned that they had received the Head and Deputy Head of SMA 1 Pontianak at the MPR building on Thursday, May 14th.

During the meeting, SMA 1 Pontianak stated that they had accepted the results of the competition and support SMA Sambas to represent West Kalimantan in the national competition.

“SMA 1 has accepted the results as decided and they are the second-place winners, supporting SMA Sambas to become the representative from West Kalimantan at the national final,” he told reporters on Friday, May 15th.

Despite this, Eddy said that the MPR is still waiting for an official statement from SMA 1 Pontianak to be used as input and a basis for decision-making.

“As the organizer of the competition, we are waiting for SMA 1 to send the letter to the MPR officially,” he said.

“So that at the MPR, we can convene and make a new decision so that what the students of SMA 1 want can be fulfilled,” he added.

Eddy also expressed his appreciation for the attitude shown by SMA 1 Pontianak, which he sees as a sign of sportsmanship. He added that during the meeting at the MPR building, SMA 1 Pontianak confirmed that they would participate in the 4 Pillars MPR Quiz Competition in the future if it is held again.

“So, it means that their spirit has not diminished, and this is what we highly appreciate, and this is truly the spirit of Indonesian nationalism that we want to build through the MPR RI’s socialization of the Four Pillars of the Nation,” he explained.

Regarding sanctions against the two judges in the final, Eddy said that they are still waiting for the results of the evaluation from the MPR Secretariat General. He said that the results of the evaluation will be the basis for the MPR leadership to take the necessary action against the judges involved.

“The MPR leadership will then decide what action should be taken against the judges. So, we are still waiting for the results of the evaluation and recommendations from the MPR Secretary General,” he said.

Previously, SMA 1 Pontianak stated that they would not participate if the final of the 4 Pillars MPR RI Quiz Competition at the West Kalimantan provincial level in 2026 was re-run.

SMA 1 Pontianak respects the results of the competition that have been set and supports SMA 1 Sambas as the representative of West Kalimantan at the national level.

“SMA 1 Pontianak respects the results of the competition that have been set and expresses full support for SMA 1 Sambas as the representative of West Kalimantan in the 4 Pillars Quiz Competition at the national level,” said the Head of SMA 1 Pontianak, Indang Maryati, in a written statement.

The school also emphasized that it never intended to cancel the results of the competition. According to Indang, the action taken was solely to request clarification regarding the assessment process in the final competition.

“SMA 1 Pontianak does not intend to annul the results of the competition, but only to obtain clarification on the points in question,” she said.