Naradamping/LO Paslon Will Be Equipped With HT During The Fourth Debate Of Vice President Sunday, January 21

Three vice presidential candidates after the debate/Bambang E Ros/VOI

The General Election Commission (KPU) said that each military officer (LO) pair of presidential and vice presidential candidates will be equipped with a protophone or handy talkie (HT) in the fourth debate, Sunday (21/1).

"If it was agreed on a communication tool, for example, wearing ahandy talkie, yes. We will optimize it there," said KPU Commissioner August Mellaz when met after a meeting with the candidate pair team and the organizing media at the KPU office, Jakarta, as reported by ANTARA, Monday, January 15.

Mellaz explained that thehandy talkie will be held by "super LO" which has full access, the Indonesian KPU team, to the organizing media. The use of handy talkied is intended to facilitate communication in supervising the course of the debate.

"Later on, there will be two 'LO's who are holding it (full access (full access, ed.), that's the one who will hold it. So, six of them, then with our team, and of course from the organizing media; so that later in real time (direct, ed.) if there are obstacles, we can immediately anticipate," he said.

Mellaz explained, the full access LO means that the pair of candidates can access all places in the debate location. LO full access will be placed near the commissioners of the Indonesian KPU so that they can jointly observe and coordinate.

"Full access means you can go anywhere, you can directly communicate with us (KPU), unless you communicate with a pair of candidates, panelists, and moderators, it is completely prohibited," he said.

The fourth debate that will bring together the vice presidential candidates will be held at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC). The theme of debate includes energy, natural resources (SDA), food, carbon taxes, the environment, agrarianism, and indigenous peoples.

The technical preparation for the debate, said Mellaz, is still under completion. The KPU is planning a meeting with the candidate pair team and the organizing media for the overall finalization.

"So later on Wednesday (17/1), we will announce it according to our habits in the context of implementing the debate. Starting from moderators, panelists, themes, all kinds of things," he said.