"We have decided last night. The candidate pairs can present their vision and mission on their own. The time and location will be decided by them. The KPU will not facilitate this," KPU Chairman Arief Budiman remarked after a meeting on the presidential candidates` debate here on Saturday.
The presidential-vice presidential candidates can deliver their vision and mission as many times as possible before their debate on Jan 17.
"It is up to them, whether they want to present it (the vision and mission) once, twice, or not at all," Budiman noted.
He admitted to it being difficult for the commission to accommodate both teams harboring different aspirations, while in fact, there is no regulation in place that necessitates candidates to disseminate information of their vision and mission.
"It is different with the debate of presidential-vice presidential candidates that is stipulated in the law," he stated.
The plan to present the candidates` vision and mission was initiated by the KPU and both pairs` campaign teams.
"That was our idea. The KPU proposed its idea, and both pairs also shared their views. We discussed this," he noted, adding that the commission will facilitate the presentation after the two teams reached an agreement on implementing the delivery of the vision and mission.
"Presentation of the vision and mission is aimed at providing complete information on the candidates` vision and mission and not partial information, while in a debate, this might be conveyed partially," Budiman remarked.
The Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno pair success team expressed regret over the KPU`s decision to cancel the presentation of the presidential and vice presidential candidates` vision and mission, earlier planned on Jan 9.
"Honestly, we deeply regret the decision. The KPU should continue its plan on the presidential candidates` presentation of their vision and mission before the debate of the candidates," Sudirman Said, director of the National Winning team of the Prabowo-Sandiaga pair, remarked in a statement here on Saturday.
Sudirman reiterated the importance of the candidates offering an explanation on their vision and mission directly to the public to demonstrate that they truly understand the problems faced by the nation.
"Of course, the public has the right to get first-hand information from the candidates. How they solve the problems should be conveyed and also to what extent they comprehend the problems of this nation," he stated.
Reporting by Syaiful Hakim
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
