The Origin of the Term "Kusir Debate": A Horse's Flatulence

According to the book Logika Kemulian Hidup (Logic of Noble Living) by Agus Salim MA and others, the term originated from an anecdote related by prominent Islamic scholar and diplomat KH Agus Salim at a public forum.

One day, Haji Agus Salim was riding in a cart driven by a cart driver. Suddenly, the horse passed wind (flatulence). Agus Salim made a comment.

“Poor thing, the horse has wind entering its body,” said Agus Salim.

However, the cart driver disagreed. He said his horse did not have wind entering, but rather wind exiting.

“No, my horse has wind exiting.”

Agus Salim replied again. “Yes, that means wind entering.”

The cart driver answered once more. “No, that means wind exiting.”

This debate continued all the way until they reached their destination. They argued back and forth about whether it was wind entering or wind exiting.

From this point on, Agus Salim coined the term “kusir debate” (cart driver debate). Agus Salim used this term everywhere. One notable instance was during an important moment determining the fate of the Indonesian Republic.

At that forum, Agus Salim cautioned participants against engaging in kusir debates. The participants then questioned what the term meant. Agus Salim explained the anecdote about the flatulent horse. In this manner, Agus Salim popularised the term kusir debate. Since then, the term has continued to be used to the present day.