KPU Responds to Protests Over TV Organizer of Second Presidential Debate

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The Indonesian General Election Commission (KPU) spoke out about the television organizer of the second presidential debate, MNC Group, which was protested by the candidate pairs 01 and 02.

Indonesian KPU Commissioner August Mellaz said that the KPU did not have any pretensions towards the parties who would be implementing the debate, including the organizing media.

“Everyone we invite has qualifications in holding debates and is included in the broadcasting institution category, that’s all. “And it’s a separate entity from all kinds of political parties there, the same as other TV stations, the principles are the same,” said Mellaz to media crew, Tuesday (2/1/2024) evening.

This is like when the KPU invited other television stations to the first presidential and vice presidential debate.

Read also: Cak Imin Objects to MNC Being the Organizer of the Third Presidential Candidate Debate

“All the media organizers that we invited to broadcast the debate, whether one, two, three, four and five, sat at one table to discuss this issue together and divided their respective roles,” said Mellaz.

Previously, the National Campaign Team (TKN) for presidential-vice presidential candidate number 2 Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka admitted that they had written to the KPU so that the television hosting the presidential candidate debate on Sunday (7/1/2024) would not be monopolized by the MNC Group.

Prabowo-Gibran TKN Secretary, Nusron Wahid, said the request was for equality and checks and balances between one TV group and another.

Read also: TKN Prabowo sent a letter to the KPU asking that the presidential candidate debate not be monopolized by the MNC group

“Incidentally, in the third debate, the TV organizer proposed by the KPU was an MNC group; MNC TV, Global TV, Inews TV, RCTI. “By coincidence, the TV station happens to be owned by the same group, owned by the same business group led by Harry Tanoesudibyo, General Chair of the Perindo Party and also a supporter of one of the candidate pairs,” said Nusron, Tuesday.

The KPU admitted that it had received the letter from TKN. “Oh yes, of course it has been accepted,” said Mellaz.

Similar to TKN, the National Winning Team of presidential candidate pair and vice presidential candidate number 1, Anies Baswedan and Muhaimin Iskandar (Amin National Team) asked the KPU not to make MNC Group the organizer of debate broadcasting.

“We all know that the owner of MNC is Mr Hary Tanoe and the Perindo Party, he as chairman clearly supports candidate number 3,” said Amin National Team Spokesperson, Iwan Tarigan to Kompas.com, Tuesday.

“The KPU (should) not use MNC media whose direction of political support is clear. This needs to be done to avoid problems during the event and after the event,” he said.

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2024-01-03 01:31:00


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