REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Commissioner of General Elections Commission (KPU) Wahyu Setiawan believed that the first round of debate of Indonesian presidential and vice presidential candidates would educate people. The first round of debate would touch on substantive matters, Setiawan said here on Monday.
The rundown of the presidential and vice presidential debates consists of six segments. The first segment is about the delivery of each pair's vision and mission.
The second and third segments contain responses to open questions, namely the questions made by the panelists and submitted to Joko Widodo-KH Ma'ruf Amin and Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno pairs, one week prior to the convening of the debate.
Then, in the fourth and fifth segments, the two pairs of the presidential and vice presidential candidates would raise questions and respond to the questions they received in a debate format.
In the sixth segment, the KPU would ask each of the pairs to make a closing statement, Setiawan noted.
The two pairs of Indonesian presidential and vice presidential candidates should offer concrete solutions during their first round of debate, which takes place on Jan 17, in an effort to get public sympathy, an observer earlier explained.
"The two pairs should solidify their answers with concrete solutions. The answers should not be too general," political observer from Padjadjaran University, Yusa Djuyandi, stated.
The two pairs should understand the topic of the debate. The candidates should study the nation's problems and convey concrete ways to solve the problem.
When candidates are given the opportunity to question the opponents, they must deliver the best questions. Djuyandi stressed that candidates must recognize each issue comprehensively and question the opponents on steps and programs to solve the issues.
"The public must know the solutions that are offered by the two pairs," he added.
He further remarked that both presidential candidates could be given the opportunity to clarify accusations. Prabowo, for example, was accused of human rights violations.
In addition, the presidential candidates could inquire the completion of legal cases in the Jokowi government, such as the Novel Baswedan case.
"People want to know how the two couples would address their respective problems," he pointed out.