Han Revanda Putra, Jakarta – The Executive Director of Indonesian Presidential Studies or IPS Nyarwi Ahmad believed that the absence of the running candidate for the 2024 general elections Prabowo-Gibran during several public dialogues might be part of a strategy.
According to Nyarwi, he must examine the data to see which voter demographic is attracted to active candidates in debates. "It could be that Prabowo-Gibran has the data of which majority voter [demographic] they attract, especially gen Z, gen alpha, and millennial who are not interested in debates," he said when called on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023.
If the pair sees debates as something ceremonial, Nyarwi said, they may believe that debate is inconsequential. "There is no incentive to attract more votes or expand the basis of their supporters," said the lecturer of Political Communication at Universitas Gadjah Mada.
However, Nyarwi exclaimed, at the end of the day the art of democracy lies in persuasion. Meaning, voters place their trust in the candidates based on their abilities to persuade people. "The presidential-vice presidential candidates, not merely their buzzers or their campaigning team," he said.
The general elections candidates must at least convey their vision and mission clearly, Nyarwi said. "Don't buy a cat in a sack," he said. Meaning, voters ought to understand in detail that these ideas come from the candidates directly.
Nyarwi said that voters are allowed to be indifferent about presidential debates and the art of political persuasion. "But it's unfortunate to believe these debates and dialogues are mere useless rituals," he remarked.
Earlier, the Indonesian Forum for Living Environment, or Walhi held a public dialogue for the three running candidates on Saturday. However, the only candidate to attend the dialogue was Anies Baswedan. Both Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming were absent from the event.
Another time, Gibran was absent to attend a public dialogue held in Universitas Muhammadiyah on Friday.
Meanwhile, the secretary of Prabowo-Gibran's campaigning team reasoned on Friday that both candidates split their attendance to allow for attending two important events at the same time.