The fourth televised presidential election debate on Sunday saw vice presidential candidates Muhaimin Iskandar and Mahfud MD clash with front-runner Gibran Rakabuming Raka on issues ranging from industrial development to agrarian reform.

For a large part of the debate, Gibran, the eldest son of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, defended and vowed to continue the policies of the incumbent administration.

But experts claim the debate, which revolved around energy, natural resources, agriculture, the environment and indigenous communities, was largely devoid of concrete solutions.

Muhaimin, who is running alongside presidential candidate Anies Baswedan, opened his platform speech with a dig at the government over land distribution and ownership, noting that the vast majority of farmers did not own the land they tilled.

He also took issue with the government lowering its target for the share of renewables in the national energy mix, from 23 percent to between 17 and 19 percent by 2025.

Read also: Presidential candidates vow to stay course on energy transition

In several of his answers, Gibran, who is running with the current defense minister, Prabowo Subianto, defended the downstream industrial development that lies at the center of Jokowi’s economic agenda. In particular, he challenged his rivals on their commitment to support the government’s policies and previous achievements.

Popular

Magnitude 6.5 earthquake strikes off Java island: authorities

Philippines to endure extreme heat until mid-May

Indonesia one step from Olympics after beating South Korea