It is estimated that the quality of the upcoming 2024 presidential debate would only give a little glimpse into understanding the candidate’s commitment to the proposed issue.
“If the public believed the 2019 presidential debate lacked substances, the 2024 debate would be just the same,” constitutional law expert Bivitri Susant told Tempo in a phone call on Sunday, December 10, 2023.
She said that the moderator in the debate will only read the list of questions previously drafted by the panelist. The moderator, she said, is not authorised to ask further questions to the running candidates.
“Follow-up questions are not allowed,” Bivitri said. “It’s not a debate, just a speech.
Bivitri relayed her experience during the previous electoral debate in 2019, where she acted as a panelist in the debate between current president Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto. During that time, panelists were tasked to draft questions but were not given the chance to ask questions.
“My role [in the debate] was not optimal. People have great expectations toward a panelist. On the other hand, I was only there to draft questions. Why should I be there?” she said. This year, she declined the offer to become a panelist in the 2024 presidential debate.
Bivitri explained that said format could not be called a debate. “Since we are not allowed to ask questions to really dig their answers,” she added.
That’s the role of an expert panelist, Bivitri went on, to ensure the questions at hand are being answered by the candidates. However, this becomes impossible if the panelists are not allowed to implore more.
“In reality, the questions are being asked by famous moderators [acting] as a mere time-keeper,” Bivitri remarked.
The General Elections Commission or KPU announced previously that the presidential debate would be held at the KPU office in Menteng, Central Jakarta on Tuesday, at around 07:00 p.m. local time.
For this debate, eleven panelists were asked to draft questions, to be read by two moderators during the occasion. The running presidential candidates would debate assorted issues encompassing the government, law, human rights, corruption eradication, improvement of democracy, improvement of public services, and public harmony.
Source from Tempo.co
Original News HERE
