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Ahok, Anies gear up for final election debate
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Stand firm -- Jakarta incumbent candidate Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama explains his programs to improve people's welfare during the third gubernatorial candidate debate at Bidakara Hotel in Jakarta on Feb.10. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
M
illions of eyes will be fixated on Bidakara Hotel on Gatot Subroto, South Jakarta, on Wednesday night when Anies Baswedan and Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama are set to square off in the last official gubernatorial election debate.
Wednesday’s debate will be the candidates’ final chance to persuade more than 7 million voters on the same stage.
After the debate, both Anies and Ahok will only have three days of campaigning left as the gubernatorial race enters its cooling off period.
Both camps are aware of the magnitude of the debate, with Ahok saying he was busy collecting data to support his arguments during the debate.
His running mate, Djarot Saiful Hidayat, said on Tuesday that they would also examine their findings during the campaign trail.
Meanwhile, Anies’ running mate, Sandiaga Uno, said the one and only official debate in the runoff would be a golden opportunity to attract the ever-elusive swing vote, estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands.
According to Sandiaga, Anies will focus on themes related to human interest while answering economic and infrastructure-related questions.
“We will focus our debate on the issues considered most important, especially to undecided voters,” he said on Monday.
Swing voters may be the game changer in an election race, described by many, as one of the tightest in the capitals history.
Under the theme “from residents to Jakarta,” the pair of candidates are expected to clash over their different points of view on a number of basic issues in Jakarta.
Among the topics included in the debate are transportation, housing, reclamation, education and business, with some of the questions drafted by Jakarta residents.
Regarding housing, for instance, Ahok has pledged to build more vertical housing for marginalized and middle-class residents if reelected, with a large part of the apartments to be located in transportation hubs.
On the other hand, Anies continues to promote his zero down payment program to make housing affordable for low and middleincome residents.
Anies and Ahok also have opposing opinions on reclamation issues with the incumbent governor believing that reclamation of North Jakarta Bay is necessary to revitalize the bay area as well save residents from future major disasters.
On the other side, Anies has pledged to stop the controversial project as it would affect the livelihoods of those living around the bay.
Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPU Jakarta) commissioner Moch. Sidik said marginalized communities, including street vendors and lowcost apartment residents, were among the people who would be given the opportunity to ask questions to the candidates at Wednesday’s debate.
“Marginalized residents have struggled to get access to share their aspirations. We hope to give them that in this debate,” Sidik said.
(Read also: KPU Jakarta to engage public in final debate)
The inclusion of residents in a town-hall debate format might put both candidates on unfamiliar ground as it is a difficult format wherein the candidate who connects most with the individuals asking the questions fairs best.
A recent poll showed Ahok had lost his frontrunner status to Anies as the former is being tried for a blasphemy case at the North Jakarta District Court.
