TKN Prabowo-Gibran Said The Format For The Debate Of The Vice President Was Accompanied By The Presidential Candidate Proposed By The Anies-Cak Imin Kubu

A number of volunteers raised two fingers during the Consolidation of the Prabowo-Gibran TKD West Java Province in Bandung, West Java, Saturday (11/25/2023). (ANTARA PHOTO/M Agung Rajasa/YU)

JAKARTA - The Prabowo-Gibran National Campaign Team (TKN) responded to the polemic about changing the debate format for the 2024 presidential election candidates which canceled the special debate for the vice presidential candidate. Member of the Prabowo-Gibran Expert Council, Dradjad H. Wibowo said that the proposed vice presidential debate format accompanied by his presidential candidate was originally revealed by the presidential and vice presidential candidate pair Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar (Cak Imin). Drajad revealed that this proposal was put forward in a KPU meeting with representatives of the three pairs of presidential and vice-presidential candidates on November 29. The meeting discussed the KPU's presentation regarding the date, place, theme, event format, design, and composition of the debate event. "Anies-Muhaimin representatives submit some input or suggestions. One of them reads approximately as follows, 'So that in every debate session, presidential and vice presidential candidates are present together, the division of time or portion of speech is please regulated by the KPU'," said Drajad in his statement, Sunday, December 3. Drajad said this proposal was submitted by a mother of Anies-Muhaimin representatives and strengthened by her colleague. However, TKN Prabowo-Gibran did not know who the proposer was. Then, when the representatives of the Prabowo-Gibran pair got their turn to reveal their proposal, the chairman of the Prabowo-Gibran TKN Expert Council, Burhanuddin Abdullah, approved the proposal from the Anies-Cak Imin camp. "Thus, it is clear and clear that President Jokowi did not intervene in debate with the KPU. In fact, I personally believe he does not know about the proposal," he said. For information, the KPU eliminated the 2024 presidential election debate format which only featured the vice president in one activity. This time there is no special debate for the vice presidential candidate separately because the couple will come with each debate. This was protested by the National Winning Team (TPN) Ganjar-Mahfud Deputy for Law TPN Ganjar-Mahfud, Todung Mulya Lubis assessed that the statement by KPU Chairman Hasyim Asy'ari regarding the presidential and vice presidential candidate pairs having to attend five times the debate was a trick. "Frankly, sorry for the statement made by the Chairman of the KPU, Brother Hasyim Asy'ari, who said that the debate was still held five times, but was attended by the two candidate pairs and vice presidential candidates," said Todung, Saturday, December 2. Not only that, Spokesperson for the Anies-Muhaimin (AMIN) National Winning Team (Timnas) Mardani Ali Sera also asked the KPU to clarify the debate between the presidential and vice presidential candidates in the 2024 presidential election. "This needs to be clarified," Mardani told VOI when contacted via text message, Saturday, December 2.

The KPU does have the authority to regulate the format of the debate. However, explanations must still be given to the public to prevent public perceptions. “Publikdo not be fooled by the rules that seem to protect one of the pairs of candidates. (Debat format, ed) must be explained,” continued the member of the DPR's Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) faction.