JAKARTA - Indonesia's presidential front runner Prabowo Subianto on Dec 12 kicked off the series of televised election debates by riding out a flurry of punches from his opponents on political hot-potato issues, from the controversial Constitutional Court ruling on the minimum age of presidential and vice-presidential candidates to backsliding democracy in the country.
Mr Prabowo, who is Defence Minister; former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan; and former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo took turns to express their opinions on wide-ranging issues, from the separatist conflict in the eastern region of Papua to the rights of religious minorities and the quality of public service.
But as the debate progressed, they wasted no time in hurling barbs and getting at one another's throats. Their faces turned red and their voices quivered, as their supporters packing the hall cheered them on.
Mr Anies asked Mr Prabowo for his view on the "serious ethical violation" on the court ruling lowering the minimum age for presidential and vice-presidential candidates from 40 to 35 years, paving the way for President Joko Widodo's 36-year-old son Gibran Rakabuming Raka to join the race as Mr Prabowo's running mate.
A judicial panel on Nov 7 found the Constitutional Court's chief justice Anwar Usman, who is the President's brother-in-law, guilty of a conflict of interest over his part in the ruling.
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