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VP candidates to debate among Senayan mall rats
After last week’s widely panned “debate” by the presidential candidates, their running mates — two ex-generals and a US-educated economist — are tonight expected to stage a livelier exchange
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After last week’s widely panned “debate” by the presidential candidates, their running mates — two ex-generals and a US-educated economist — are tonight expected to stage a livelier exchange.
The first vice presidential debate of the campaign will see the generals, Prabowo Subianto and Wiranto, and the former central bank governor, Boediono, take to the stage as they lay out their plans on developing a national identity.
The debate will take place at the Senayan City Mall and will be broadcast live by SCTV.
Asrian Mirza, deputy director of the Megawati Soekarnoputri—Prabowo media center, said he was sure the vice presidential debate would be far different from the insipid lip service paid at last week’s presidential debate.
“Prabowo is a man who is not afraid to disagree over anything, so it’s most likely he will be more daring about initiating a debate with the other candidates,” he told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
“In my view, this will be a more challenging debate.”
Asrian added Prabowo, still on the campaign trail, would be back in Jakarta on Monday evening for a few hours of briefing with advisers on the debate topics.
“He needs to sharpen his approach on several matters related to the topics so he can convince the audience that he means business in everything he says,” he said.
However, Asrian said it would be up to the moderator to set the tone of the debate.
“The moderator is the one running the show, so we’re also expecting that the moderator we get doesn’t make the debate look boring,” he said.
Ali Muchtar Ngabalin, a member of the Jusuf Kalla—Wiranto campaign team, said the debate would be more interesting if the General Elections Commission (KPU), as the facilitator, was more relaxed.
“We hope this debate won’t be like last week’s. We realize the public was very disappointed about that last debate,” he said.
“The commission should loosen up a little and let the debate flow in a more lively and effective manner.”
He added Wiranto would focus on the state ideology of Pancasila to recapture the national identity.
“We’ll try to emphasize the fact that Indonesians are slowly losing their national identity as outlined in Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution,” Ali said.
Presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng, a member of the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono—Boediono campaign team, said the former economics minister would not be lured into a heated and empty debate.
”If Boediono agrees with what the other candidates say, he will say it the way it is,” he said cryptically.
“He will approach the debate in the well-mannered way characteristic of him.”
He added the campaign team had not lined up any special preparations or drills for Boediono for tonight’s debate.
After evaluating last week’s debate, the KPU said the vice presidential debate would be altered slightly.
KPU member Endang Sulastri said there would be more time for the actual exchange of ideas, and no debate host.
“To make the debate more formal and dignified, the KPU and the campaign teams have decided not to use a host or MC during the debate,” she said.
She added the candidates would be given seven minutes to present their vision and mission statements, down from the 10 minutes in the previous debate.
She also said the candidates would be able to engage in direct debating. (fmb/hdt)
