RESERVED ATTACKS
Unlike during previous debates, where Mr Anies, Mr Prabowo and Mr Ganjar were eager to attack one another, they were more reserved this time.
Mr Prabowo, for example, asked Mr Ganjar whether he agreed with his programme to provide nutritional food to children to prevent stunting.
Mr Ganjar replied by saying he disagreed.
“If you give nutrition to pregnant women, then I agree. But if the child is already born, maybe you meant to prevent malnutrition, not stunting.
“If it is to prevent malnutrition, then okay. So, don’t be confused…,” he pointed out.
When it was Mr Ganjar’s turn to ask Mr Prabowo, he reminded the latter of a statement he had made during campaigning in Pontianak city at the end of January.
One of Mr Ganjar’s programmes is to provide free internet should he be Indonesia’s next president.
But Mr Ganjar claimed that Mr Prabowo, while campaigning in Pontianak, had said those who choose free internet rather than free meals have a slow brain.
“Do you approve this (free internet programme) to improve digital inequality?” Mr Ganjar asked Mr Prabowo.
The former army general tried to clarify his statement and said Mr Ganjar did not have the full context of it.
“I was asking (the people who attended the rally) what is more important: free internet or free food for the needy. For the poor. For the lower class. That’s what I meant,” said Mr Prabowo.
He claimed free internet is good, but free food for Indonesian children and pregnant women takes priority.
Meanwhile, Mr Anies, who had attacked Mr Prabowo sharply during previous debates, was gentler this time.
He asked Mr Prabowo how he would protect women, but instead, Mr Prabowo said women are very important, so he wants to focus on giving nutritional food to (pregnant) women.
“Thank you, Mr Prabowo, but it seems you haven’t answered my question because the question is about women’s protection…,” said Mr Anies.
Mr Prabowo said he would enforce the law and work with institutions to accomplish this.
He then asked Mr Anies whether he approved of his vision to give scholarships for about 10,000 Indonesian students to study abroad to become doctors as the country faces a shortage.
Mr Anies said, in principle, he agreed.
