Ihsan Reliubun, Jakarta – The Indonesian Democracy and Electoral Empowerment Partnership (DEEP) Executive Director, Neni Nur Hayati, asked the General Elections Commission (KPU) to involve civil coalitions and mass organizations in preparing questions for the upcoming presidential and vice presidential debates in the 2024 elections.

According to Neni, the involvement of various organizations in certain issues is necessary because they possess a better understanding of the real situation in society that the candidates need to address during the debate.

"NGOs (non-governmental organizations) have comprehensive data [to frame the right questions]," she said via a text to Tempo on Thursday, December 7.

Neni also argued that the polling agency, now headed by Hasyim Asy'ari, should release the names of the panelists and moderators immediately so that the people can check their backgrounds and ensure that they are not affiliated with a particular pair of candidates.

Neni, who is also a member of the Muhammadiyah's Institute for Wisdom and Public Policy (LHKP), emphasized that panelists or moderators must be independent and have proven qualities.

Dimas Bagus Arya, the coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), seconded Neni's statement. He stressed the importance of public participation in the preparation of topics and questions for the presidential and vice-presidential debates.

Debate questions, he opined, are crucial to test the candidates' abilities on the issues to be discussed. "The KPU should not pretend to know all the issues. [The KPU] must involve the community," Dimas told Tempo on Thursday, December 7.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1806862/kpu-urged-to-involve-public-in-presidential-debate-question-listin