UGM Will Meet Ganjar, Prabowo And Anies In The September Dialogue Forum

Deputy Chancellor for Student Affairs, Community Service, and UGM Arie Sujito Alumni (ANTARA/Luqman Hakim)

YOGYAKARTA - Gadjah Mada University (UGM) plans to bring together three presidential candidates in the 2024 General Election, namely Ganjar Pranowo, Anies Baswedan, and Prabowo Subianto in a dialogue forum which will be held in September 2023.

"On September 19, 2023, we plan to invite three candidates but they are still planning. Because they are not yet official as presidential candidates, it can be called dialogue," said Deputy Chancellor for Student Affairs, Community Service, and UGM Arie Sujito when met at the UGM Central building, Yogyakarta, reported by ANTARA, Thursday, August 31.

According to Arie, students who have the right to vote in the 2024 General Election need adequate insight into the figure of a leader who is able to understand the problems they face.

The dialogue of candidates for presidential candidates, according to Arie, is a means of political education for students so that it is hoped that they will not receive negative responses from the KPU or Bawaslu.

On the other hand, he wants the KPU to raise rules that make it easier to build trust with universities.

"Build trust, the KPU must cooperate with universities and we are ready to work together. Don't have a little bit of high tension. The success of the election must be presented through working together, not just KPU work, not Bawaslu work only," he said.

He said that dialogue and debate of such candidates had been carried out by several campuses abroad.

According to Arie, the decision of the Constitutional Court (MK) Number 65/PUU-XXI/2023 which allows educational institutions including campuses to be used as a place to campaign makes UGM more firmly holding the dialogue.

"Before the Constitutional Court's decision, we already have the initiative for it. We will hold it, we have planned to do that, thank God there is a decision by the Constitutional Court regarding it so that it will legally be better," he said.

Arie said that a few months before the Constitutional Court's decision emerged, he and UGM Chancellor Ova Emilia attended the invitation of the Indonesian KPU and the Directorate General of Higher Education to discuss the challenges and opportunities for universities to hold campaigns on campus.

In a meeting attended by a number of leaders of State Law Entities (PTNBH) such as UI, IPB, ITB, and Unpad, there was a debate regarding campaigns on campus.

"Some are brave, some are not, at that time I was with the Chancellor saying UGM was brave," he said.