Gone is the debate over whether independent candidates should have the right to contest the election for the Jakarta governor in August.

Even if the Constitutional Court says independent candidates do have this right when it delivers a verdict on the issue later this month, it will be too late to change Jakarta's poll.

Jakartans can look forward to having just two pairs of candidates to choose from in August. These pairs are Fauzi Bowo and his running mate Prijanto, and Adang Daradjatun and running mate Dani Anwar, who registered with the provincial poll body just hours before the deadline.

Allowing independent candidates at this point would simply disrupt the ongoing poll preparations, which could threaten the whole process of the first direct gubernatorial election in Jakarta.

But the clamor for independent candidates cannot be lightly dismissed. The fact that a group of people is challenging a law that blocks independent candidates from contesting elections demonstrates a degree of public distrust in the candidates who are allowed to run.

In other words, some Jakarta voters may not believe either of the two pairs of candidates has the credibility to lead the capital. If this doubt persists, it could affect voter turnout in August. While a high turnout does not necessarily guarantee the quality of an election, the more voters the more credible a poll will be.

Jakartans will have to vote for either Fauzi/Prijanto or Adang/Dani, but many residents may not know what the candidates actually stand for. Most people only know Adang is a former National Police deputy chief and has been recently active in the Association of Blood Donors. Fauzi is only known as the current Jakarta deputy governor.

With the official campaign period for the election lasting just two weeks – from July 22 and Aug. 2 – the candidates will have a small window of opportunity to introduce themselves and communicate their programs to the public.

More importantly, neither Fauzi nor Adang has yet to convince the public of their ability to lead Jakarta, a city of 12 million people that is facing a myriad of problems, ranging from traffic congestion to poverty.

There are many ways to build trust between candidates and voters, including public debates. The more public exposures the candidates receive, the greater the opportunity for them to win the hearts and minds of voters.

Public debates would be a more effective way to connect with voters than mass rallies, which increase the danger of clashes and traffic accidents.

Unlike in the United States, where debates between presidential candidates has long been practiced as part of that country's democracy, Indonesia only initiated public debates among candidates in the 2004 presidential election.

The televised debates that year, however, were dull and failed to live up to their goal of providing a bridge between the candidates and the voters. Most of the time it was political party officials, not the presidential candidates, who had the guts to appear in public and challenge their opponents.

The presidential debates between George W. Bush and Senator John F. Kerry in 2004 could be cited as a model for debates between candidates.

It would be too much to expect Fauzi and Adang to emulate Bush and Kerry. Hopes are high, however, the public will have more chances to examine the candidates so they will be able to vote for the right person.

Public debates, which are part of the political education, would also be expected to provide a clearer picture of the candidates to those who may think about skipping the election.

Fauzi could take advantage of the debates to discuss his achievements during his time as deputy governor. And he would have the opportunity to explain, among other things, why flooding remains a serious threat to the city and how garbage handling could be improved. Adang would have the opportunity to talk about how he would live up to his pledge to make Jakarta a better place if elected.

Both Fauzi and Adang must be well versed on all the problems facing Jakarta, and they must be willing to speak to the public about how they would address these problems for the good of all Jakartans.

Apart from the initiative of both Fauzi and Adang, it is the responsibility of the elections commission to encourage public debates.

Large rallies will only exacerbate the city's already notorious traffic jams. Worse, such rallies have in the past ended in violence. Surely, debates would be a better way to educate voters.