VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

2019 is a political year for the Indonesian nation, because on April 17, 2019, the Indonesian nation will carry out the General Election to elect the President and Vice President, members of the House of Representatives (DPR) and members of the Regional Representative Council (DPD) for the period 2019-2024. As we known, there are now 2 Candidates for President and Vice President in the Presidential Election, namely pair number 01, Joko Widodo and Ma'ruf Amin and pair number 02, Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno. This candidate pair is undergoing a campaign period that runs from September 23, 2018 to April 13, 2019. The most interesting thing from the campaign period for the election of the President and Vice President is the Debate of Presidential Candidates and Vice Presidents. There are 5 series of debates that will be held by the General Election Commission -KPU as the organizer of the General Elections in Indonesia, namely two presidential and vice presidential debates, two presidential debates, and one vice presidential debate. In addition, the KPU has also set themes, panelists and television media schedules which hold the first to fifth debates. The debate between presidential and vice presidential candidates is actually not new in Indonesia’s politics. In the 2014 election and the 2018 simultaneous regional elections, the KPU also held a debate on candidate pairs. From the debate, voters could get to know the candidate pairs of president and vice president and know the extent of their vision and mission if elected later. In contrast to the previous implementation, in the presidential and vice presidential debate this time, the two candidate pairs will first receive a list of questions that will be submitted by the panel a few days before the debating day. Both pairs of candidates can be better prepared to provide clear and substantive answers. It is hoped that this will make it easier for the public to make choices according to their aspirations. The debate is expected to take place naturally and healthily. So far, the presidential and vice presidential debate has often been carried out by the participants with a feeling of reluctance (Ewuh Pakewuh). Although this is closely related to Indonesian national culture, the essence of the debate itself sometimes becomes invisible.