Using The Term Inevitably Becomes Excessive And Weaknesses Of Gibran In The Debate Of Presidential Candidates

Vice Presidential Candidate number 2 Gibran Rakabuming Raka expressed his views during the Fourth Debate of the 2024 Presidential Election at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC), Jakarta, Sunday (21/1/2024). (Between/M Risyal Hidayat)

JAKARTA Gibran Rakabuming Raka is considered successful in in introducing new terms related to the environment and the green economy, but on the other hand, the title of the vice presidential candidate number two has made him get a negative assessment.

Muhaimin Iskandar, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, and Mahfud MD are again fighting on the vice presidential debate stage for the second time. The debate which was held at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) on Sunday (21/1/2024) is the last for the Vice President before voting day on February 14.

There is also a theme that is discussed around sustainable development, natural resources, the environment, agrarianism, society and villages. In the debate, Gibran again attracted public attention through his appearance after he issued several terms that were considered lay in the ears of the public.

According to experts, Gibran succeeded in introducing new terms related to the environment and the green economy to the public, including questions about greenflation that Mahfud could not answer.

Executive Director of Trias Politica Strategis, Agung Baskoro, assessed that Gibran gave an early understanding of the environment. But he also highlighted the gimmick that made him considered minimal in ethics.

Just like before the first debate at the end of last year, Gibran's ability to face two other vice presidential candidates was also evacuated. According to the Executive Director of the Nusantara Institute PolCom SRC (Political Communication Studies and Research Center) Andriadi Achmad, Gibran still gets negative sentiment as before.

The Mayor of Surakarta is considered unable to argue with the number one and three vice presidential candidates. However, according to Andriadi, this negative sentiment has gradually been broken since the joint vice presidential debate.

Despite appreciating Gibran's ability to control the debate stage, Andriadi also gave a special note to President Joko Widodo's eldest son, especially regarding the terms that Gibran used while in the debate arena.

In the first debate, the abbreviation of SGIE (State of Global Islamic Economic) succeeded in making Cak Imin unable to answer Gibran's question. Likewise with the carbon capture and storage regulations that Gibran asked Mahfud MD.

In the second debate, a term that is considered unusual for most people to be issued again by Gibran. He asked about the lithium iron phosphate or LFP (Lithium Ferro Fosfat) battery to Cak Imin and related questions about how to overcomegreenflation. At that moment, Cak Imin revealed that the debate was not a guessing game or Mahfud MD thought that Gibran's question was small, so there was no need to answer.

"In my opinion, that's where Gibran's shortcomings and advantages represent young people, many know about everything that is in the midst of technological developments and globalization, although not in depth," Andriadi told VOI.

"It is true that the leader will definitely be in contact with politics. But we need to remember that intelligence and knowledge of many things seem to have become a necessity for leaders," he added.

Meanwhile, Muhaimin Iskandar's appearance is also considered better than before. According to Paramadina University's Lecturer of Political and International Sciences, Ahmad Khoirul Umam considers Cak Imin this time to appear more relaxed, more courageous, and more aggressive than before.

In addition, Khoirul saw that Cak Imin was more daring to launch an attack on Gibran, which was marked by bringing up ethics, insinuating fake diplomas, and the Constitutional Court.

Executive Director of the Indonesia Political Opinion (IPO) Dedi Kurnia Syah, who was contacted separately, considered what Muhaimin Iskandar and Mahfud MD said was the closest to the reality currently faced, although the Vice Presidential Candidate number three tends to be bland in the presentation.

Gibran was again in the spotlight because of the game that was issued, especially when he failed to answer the opponent's question. According to Dedi, Gibran's gameik tends to demean Mahfud MD and Cak Imin's reputations.

"Including Gibran repeatedly excessive by bringing the name Tom Lembong in the debate, this is also tendentious and there seems to be an attempt to demean the opponent's reputation," explained Dedi.

Agung Baskoro believes that Gibran should not need to make demeaning gestures because it can reduce sympathy from the public. "I think Gibran today is substantively okay, yes, yes, there is indeed a matter of forum ethics that he does not understand," said Agung.