While opening the final round of the presidential debate here on Sunday, KPU Head Hasyim Asy’ari also reminded election candidates that they are in the last week to convince residents to vote for them before the mandatory silence period three days before the voting day.
“There are seven days remaining for election candidates to conduct more campaigns to persuade voters to vote for them,” he stated.
Asy’ari continued his remarks by recalling his discussion about power struggles with his teacher, who said that power can be seized.
He also quoted the 35th verse of the Quran, Surah Sad, about power and rule, which reads, “He prayed, 'My Lord! Forgive me, and grant me an authority that will never be matched by anyone after me. You are indeed the giver of all bounties.”
The Quranic verse, Asy’ari said, calls on humans to repent and ask for forgiveness from the Almighty God before taking power and leading the Indonesian nation. By repenting to God, a leader can lead the nation with a pure heart and good intention for the sake of seeking God’s blessings, he added.
The KPU head also expressed hope that the future leader of Indonesia can shoulder the mandate given by the people through the election.
“We hope any candidate receiving the people’s mandate through this election will not waste it,” he remarked.
The presidential and vice presidential candidate pairs participated in five televised debate rounds before election day. The first two debates took place on December 12 and 22, 2023, and the next two rounds took place on January 7 and 21, 2024.
In the final debate round on Sunday, presidential candidates will debate about education, health, manpower, culture, information technology, social welfare, and inclusivity.
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Translator: Narda Margaretha, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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