Pontianak Senior High School Rejects Participation in MPR Quiz Rematch, Supports Sambas Senior High School
The People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) of Indonesia has decided to rerun the final of the Inter-Senior High School Quiz Competition (LCC) in West Kalimantan following a viral polemic over the judging process, which drew attention due to the judges’ affiliation with the MPR secretariat.
However, SMAN 1 Pontianak, through an official statement, affirmed that it respects the established results of the competition and supports SMAN 1 Sambas as West Kalimantan’s representative at the national level.
“SMAN 1 Pontianak respects the results of the competition as determined and extends full support to SMAN 1 Sambas as the representative of West Kalimantan in the national-level 4 Pillars LCC,” said the Principal of SMAN 1 Pontianak, Indang Maryati, in a written statement on Thursday (14/5), quoted from detikKalimantan.
Indang emphasised that SMAN 1 Pontianak never intended to annul the competition results from the outset. According to Indang, the actions taken were solely to request clarification regarding the assessment process in the final.
The protests by her students during the competition, which subsequently went viral, were aimed at obtaining clear clarification.
“SMAN 1 Pontianak has no intention of annulling the competition results, but rather to obtain clarity through clarification on the disputed points,” she said.
Furthermore, Indang stated that SMAN 1 Pontianak will not participate if the West Kalimantan-level LCC is rerun as announced by the MPR this week.
“SMAN 1 Pontianak states that it will not be involved in the rerun of the LCC,” she asserted.
The school also emphasised that the efforts undertaken were not aimed at attacking or undermining the credibility of any institution or individual.
“The actions taken are not an attempt to attack or undermine the credibility of the institution, the competition organisers, or any specific individual,” she said.
In addition, SMAN 1 Pontianak expressed appreciation for the support from the community during the polemic and apologised for the disturbance caused.
“SMAN 1 Pontianak apologises for the disturbance that occurred and invites all parties to resolve this issue in a spirit of togetherness,” she said.
The school also called on all parties to maintain a conducive, safe, and comfortable educational environment for all students.
“See you at the 4 Pillars LCC 2027,” she added.
It is known that the polemic surrounding the Final LCC 4 Pillars MPR RI at the West Kalimantan provincial level drew public attention after a video of the judging against SMAN 1 Pontianak participants went viral. The controversy sparked protests from participants, alumni, and the public, leading to an apology and a commitment to evaluation from the MPR RI.
Decision to rerun the quiz competition
After going viral and becoming a topic of discussion for several days, the MPR previously decided to rerun the final of the 4 Pillars inter-senior high school quiz at the West Kalimantan level.
The decision was directly conveyed by MPR Chairman Ahmad Muzani during a press conference at the parliamentary complex in Jakarta on Wednesday (13/5).
Muzani affirmed that his side had made the decision and evaluated the case.
“The quiz competition (LCC) at the West Kalimantan level, the final of which we will rerun,” Muzani said at the time.
However, Muzani did not disclose the timing of the rerun. The MPR assured that it would be held soon.
In addition, Muzani stated that for the rerun final, the judges would be selected independently outside the MPR General Secretariat (Setjen). They would be drawn from academic elements in the West Kalimantan region.
“The judges who will judge the Quiz Competition will be independent judges,” he said.
The viral incident in the final of the MPR RI 4 Pillars Quiz Competition at the West Kalimantan Province level stemmed from the judging panel giving different scores to the same answer from teams B and C in a buzzer question.
“The BPK leadership is elected from and by its members. However, to become a BPK member, ties to regional representation are still maintained. In electing BPK members, the DPR is required to consider input from which institution?” asked the host, quoted from the MPR YouTube, on Monday (11/5).
Team C from SMAN 1 Pontianak, which pressed the buzzer first, answered: ‘Members of the Financial Audit Board are elected by the House of Representatives, taking into account the consideration of the Regional Representative Council and formalised by the President.’
However, Dyastasita, Head of the MPR Setjen Assessment Bureau and a judge, gave a score of -5, deeming Team C’s answer wrong.
The question was then thrown back to other participants, and Team B gave the same answer.
Upon hearing Team B’s answer, the judge confirmed it and awarded 10 points.
Participants from Team C, who answered first, requested permission to object. They showed confused expressions since their answer was marked wrong despite being the same.
However, Dyastasita insisted, reasoning that Team C’s answer did not include the Regional Representative Council or DPD.
Team C protested again. Josepha Alexandra, alias Ocha from Team C, who answered the question and raised the objection, emphasised that her initial answer had included the Regional Representative Council. However, Dyastasita did not change her decision.
Meanwhile, another judge, Indri Wahyuni, Head of the Secretariat Section of the MPR Socialisation Board, asked the participants to clarify their articulation when answering questions.
From the YouTube footage, it is suspected that the coach accompanying SMAN 1 Pontianak wanted to express an opinion but was rebutted by the judges.
The MC controlling the event then asked all parties to be sporting and accept the judges’ scores, who are competent, and mentioned ‘feelings’ towards the protesting participants.
The MPR later issued an apology regarding the viral judging decision. Deputy Chairman of the MPR, Abcandra Muhammad Akbar Supratman, assured that they would evaluate the incident.