KPU Considers Inclusion of Human Rights Issues in Presidential Debate

Jakarta (Antara) - The General Elections Commission (KPU) is contemplating to include human rights issues in the presidential and vice presidential candidates' debate in the run up to the July 9 election, noted KPU Commissioner Hadar Nafis Gumay. "We have just received the National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM) officials who requested the KPU to include human rights issues in the debate of the presidential and vice presidential candidates," Gumay stated here on Thursday evening. Meanwhile, Komnas HAM Chairman Hafid Abbas emphasized that by including human rights issues in the debate, the elected president and vice president are expected to uphold human rights and justice in Indonesia. "The state must defend the rights of every individual because without the justice of human rights, the future of this nation will increasingly dim," Abbas pointed out. Another Komnas HAM member, Otto Nur Abdullah, also supported the inclusion of human rights issues in the presidential debate, so that the people at large can gain a better understanding about the commitment of presidential and vice presidential candidates to uphold human rights and justice. "The people at large need to know how the presidential and vice presidential candidates, when elected, will uphold human rights and defend the rights of ordinary people," Abdullah stressed. Scheduled to commence on June 9 and be aired by SCTV, Indosiar, and Berita Satu TV; the debate between Prabowo-Hatta and Jokowi-JK pairs will be based on 'Promotion of Democracy, Clean Governance, and Legal Certainty'. (*)