SMAN 8 Ternate Wins North Maluku MPR Four Pillars Quiz, Advances to National Final
The MPR RI Four Pillars Quiz Competition (LCC Empat Pilar) at provincial level in North Maluku, held at the Gamalama Ballroom of the Bella Hotel in Ternate City on Friday (24 July), ended on a sweet note. SMA Negeri 8 Ternate City was confirmed as provincial champion after a contest that was legitimate, fair and nerve-racking.
The victory ensures the school will represent North Maluku at the National Final of the MPR RI Four Pillars Quiz Competition in Jakarta in August 2026.
Gunardi Ode Samura, one of the students on the team, admitted that the title won by SMAN 8 Ternate City was exhausting, as its two opponents in the final, SMAN 2 East Halmahera and SMKN 1 Ternate City, proved extremely difficult to overcome.
“My teammates and I thought at one point there was no hope, because all our opponents were very clever. However, we were determined to fight to the best of our ability to finish the competition, whatever the result,” said Gunardi, quoted on Saturday (25 July).
Faudjiah Fatmona, the supervising teacher at SMAN 8 Ternate City, said her students’ success was the fruit of a disciplined learning process. She said the students had prepared by intensively and very diligently studying the material on the MPR RI’s Four Pillars and MPR Decrees.
Regional Government Gives Support
The provincial-level MPR RI Four Pillars Quiz Competition in North Maluku also received attention from the North Maluku Provincial Government. The Deputy Governor of North Maluku, Sarbin Sehe, attended in person to watch the competition and even read out one of the questions during the Four Pillars Insight session in the preliminary round.
The competition was also marked by a moment when one of the participants lodged a protest against the judges’ decision during the buzzer session in the third preliminary round. The organising committee and the panel of judges then accommodated the request by playing a replay of the recording, witnessed by representatives of the participants and the North Maluku Provincial Education Office, before reaching a final decision.
The step demonstrated the organisers’ commitment to upholding the principles of fairness and transparency throughout the competition.
The Acting Secretary General of the MPR RI, Siti Fauziah, congratulated SMAN 8 Ternate City on becoming provincial champion.
Ibu Titi, as Siti Fauziah is affectionately known, stressed that one of the keys to success in the MPR RI Four Pillars Quiz Competition is precision. According to Ibu Titi, participants must listen to the question in full before giving their answer so as not to misinterpret its meaning.
“Don’t rush to answer. Sometimes the question hasn’t finished being read out but it’s already been answered, and it turns out the intent of the question was different. This is where precision matters, not just intelligence,” said Ibu Titi.
In addition to determining the main champion, the organising committee also presented Best Chant awards to SMAN 1 Tidore Kepulauan in the first preliminary round, SMAN 1 Pulau Taliabu in the second preliminary round, and SMKN 1 Ternate City in the third preliminary round.
For information, the event was also attended by the Head of Senior High School Development at the North Maluku Provincial Education and Culture Office, Ismail Idris, the Head of the Planning and Finance Bureau of the MPR RI Secretariat General, Triyatni, and the Head of the General Bureau of the MPR RI Secretariat General, Herry Putra.