Yogyakarta, 30 January 2019 – Welcoming the political year of 2019, the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (Fisipol) UGM, in cooperation with Jaringan Demokrasi Indonesia (JaDI) held a talk show on Tuesday (30/1). The event took place in the Mandiri Library Auditorium, on the 4th floor of the Fisipol UGM building. This talk show was attended by the representatives of the campaign teams of both candidates of the 2019 Presidential Election, the Tim Kampanye Nasional (TKN) of Joko Widodo and Ma’ruf Amin and the Badan Pemenangan Nasional (BPN) of Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno, with two representatives from each side. “Many unsubstantial activities the social media have occurred due to the upcoming 2019 elections. Fisipol wishes to provide an alternative platform for a substantial and open discussion to discuss the programs and issues concerning Indonesia’s future in a more elaborate manner. Thus, to provide a substantive discussion, we conduct it in the academic field,” as stated by Dr. Erwan Agus Purwanto, M. Si, the Dean of Fisipol UGM in his opening speech.Arsul Sani and Trimedya Panjaitan represented the TKN, while the BPN was represented by Bambang Widjajanto and Surya Imam. This talk show was also attended by three panellists with various backgrounds. Professor Agus Pramusinto, Muh. Najib and Hifdzil Alim, from JaDI, were the panellists on this talk show. The three panellists represented the neutral academic community.
This talk show was not held as a platform for debate, yet to act as a platform for discussions that follow academical ethics. “The participants and the panellists are expected to uphold academic ethics,” as stated by Abdul Gaffar Karim as the moderator.
The first round focused on law enforcement and the eradication of corruption. Several cases that were highlighted on this talk show were the Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) budget, BLBI corruption case and the issue of village fund.
After the first session, the three panellists asked questions to both sides. In addition, the audience was allowed to voice their opinions and ask questions to the representatives of both sides.
“By conducting this talk show, students will be accustomed to have discussions and to accept differences. I hope that those differences can create new ideas and teach students about political leadership,” stated by Erwan after the talk show.
This event was participated by hundreds of participants that consisted of students, political observers, NGOs and academicians. This series of talk shows will be held in five rounds until April.