Gibran Rakabuming's Debate Style Mirrors Jokowi's in 2014 Election, Says PDIP

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The second election debate between vice presidential candidates Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Muhaimin Iskandar, and Mahfud Md last night, Dec. 22, drew a lot of attention as the three sparred on issues related to the economy, investment, taxation, and infrastructure.

Hasto Kristiyanto, the secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), commented on the debate style of candidate number two, Gibran Rakabuming Raka. He assessed Gibran’s questions with specific terms for his contenders as ‘trap questions’, and this was a similar tactic used by his father, President Joko Widodo or Jokowi, in the 2014 presidential election. 

During the debate, the Solo Mayor asked candidate number 3 Mahfud Md about carbon capture and storage (CCS). To candidate number 2 Muhaimin Iskandar, Gibran asked about SGIE without mentioning the term’s full name, which led to some confusion.

Hasto recalled that Jokowi used a similar trick during the presidential debate in the 2014 election against Prabowo Subianto and running mate Hatta Rajasa. “This is a repetition of what Pak Jokowi did in 2014 to Pak Prabowo and Pak Hatta,” he said when met after the debate at JCC Senayan, Jakarta, on Friday.

Hasto further criticized Gibran’s approach to the debate, noting that if the political youngster had good intentions, he could simply explain the term and the acronym upon asking the questions. 

Such ‘trap questions’ were not necessary, he added, since the purpose of the debate was to explore the best ideas of potential future leaders. 

Last night’s second debate followed the first debate earlier this month between presidential candidates Anies Baswedan, Prabowo Subianto, and Ganjar Pranowo.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) planned five election debates in the run-up to the presidential election in February 2024. The third debate was scheduled for January 7, 2024, for presidential candidates with topics encompassing defense, security, international relations, and geopolitics.

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