4th Election Debate Explained: From Vision and Mission, Greenflation, to Tobat Ekologi

The General Election is getting near. All the presidential candidates are busy with their campaigns to share their vision and mission. One of the platforms is through election debate.

The 4th election debate, which took place on January 21, 2024, marked the second vice presidential debate. The environmental issue was the main focus of the fourth vice presidential debate, which aligned with the vision of CarbonEthics. The themes are:

• Sustainable development

• Natural resources-

• Environment

• Energy

• Food

• Agrarian

• Indigenous communities and village

Key Highlights of the Debate

The debate begins with a vision and mission speech from each candidate, then continues with questions and answers related to the environmental theme, allowing candidates to present their solutions.

However, the debate triggered comments from the citizens through various platforms like social media. They felt the debate needed more substance and detailed arguments. Nevertheless, this debate is still important because the audience can grab the stance and views of each candidate about environmental issues through the debate.

Here are the vision and mission of each candidate:

1. Muhaimin Iskandar

Vision and Mision:

• Involving the people in national development

• Making villages the central focus of development

• Involving farmers, fishermen, breeders, and indigenous people as major participants in the national food procurement program

• Ensuring land redistribution for farmers through agrarian reform

• Promoting the use of new and renewable energy

“National policy must be in favour of justice. Climate justice, ecological justice, intergenerational justice, agrarian justice, and of course social justice."

- Muhaimin Iskandar

2. Gibran Rakabuming Raka

Vision and Mision:

• Continuing the downstream of agriculture, mining, maritime, and digital

• Promoting new and renewable energy

• Developing creative economy

• Increasing green jobs

• Improving agrarian through smart farming, fertilizer procurement, farmer productivity, and land ownership

• Increasing the village fund budget

Encouraging the Law of Indigenous People

“In accordance with the principle of the Sustainable Development Goals, which is 'leave no one behind' The big narrative here is sustainability and improvement.”

- Gibran Rakabuming

3. Mahfud MD

Vision and mission:

• Safeguarding natural resources to nurture the people through utilization of natural resources, equity, community participation, and respect for ancestral rights.

• Holding the Petani Bangga Bertani and Di Laut Jaya, Nelayan Sejahtera programs

• Boosting circular economy

• Completing the Law of Indigenous People

• Ensuring data transparency for forestry landowners and cases of communities' land dispossession

“Our natural resources are very rich, but our food supply is not yet sovereign. Farmers are getting fewer, farmland is getting smaller, but fertilizer subsidies are getting bigger. Something must be wrong.”

- Mahfud MD

Read more: Green Inflation: Is It Really a Threat to Green Energy Transition?

Terminology of the Election Debate Explained

Like the previous vice presidential debate, unpopular terminology is mentioned, such as abbreviations and technical terms. Here are several terminologies of the debate and their definitions to help grasp the debate context:

• Greenflation

A rise in prices of raw materials and energy due to the green transition, such as the massive transition from fossil-fuel vehicles to electric vehicles in a country.

• Tobat Ekologi (Ecological conversion)

This term is popularized by Pope Francis, refers to a commitment, inspired by faith in the Creator, to change towards living in a right relationship with the Creator and creation in response to social and ecological crises.

• Pembangunan Rendah Karbon (Low Carbon Development)

Indonesia’s new development pattern aims to maintain economic and social growth through low greenhouse gas emission activities and minimize the exploitation of natural resources. There are 7 projects to implement Low Carbon Development goals, from the use of biogas for household energy, sustainable agriculture, and agrarian reform to the use of former mining land for mangrove forest areas.

• Pajak Karbon (Carbon Tax)

A levy imposed on carbon emissions that have a negative impact on the environment. The carbon tax in Indonesia is still under development and has been started to be implemented gradually.

• Carbon Capture and Storage

A process to reduce GHG emissions by capturing CO₂e from industrial sources and storing it in geological or biological formation, e.g. capturing and storing the carbon in mangrove plantations.

• Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP)

A type of lithium-ion battery that uses lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) as the cathode material widely used for power tools, electric vehicles, and solar energy systems. It's the alternative to nickel.

Understanding the president and vice president candidates’ views and stances on environmental policy is crucial for informed voting so voters can vote for the candidate that prioritizes the environment. The elected president and vice president will play a pivotal role in determining whether Indonesia will progress or face setbacks in protecting the Earth in the next five years.

To facilitate voter awareness, CarbonEthics has provided a comprehensive report of the presidential candidates’ views, stances, and track records of environmental and carbon policies. It’s a free access Policy Paper for Election Edition that will help the reader navigate who to vote.