In this episode, Stephanie’s out with an emergency root canal (ergo, she can’t speak; and we hope you’ll get better soon!) so we have invited Andhyta Firselly Utami, better known as Afu, to come and chat about the vice-presidential debates. Afu and her husband Wikan are the brains behind Frame & Sentences, a YouTube series that breaks down important social and political issues (we’ve also interviewed them in our 35th episode), and she’s also a researcher and policy expert currently based in Indonesia. We break down the debate performances of Jokowi’s running mate Ma’ruf Amin and Prabowo’s running mate Sandiaga Uno — in particular comparing the decidedly different backgrounds and experiences of both individuals. The topics of this round of debates are on education, health, human resources, social issues, and culture and we talk about how both candidates spoke to these issues, in particular on Indonesia’s human capital and the many problems surrounding its development.
We also discuss this growing trend of political awareness coming from the urban youth in particular and talk through what it means for young Indonesians of all background to become interested in what’s going on in the political space — and how can we leverage the conversation to be one that is inclusive, welcoming, and empathetic. We also dug deep into the topic of moral psychology and how, in order to truly celebrate our diversity and promote tolerance, we must understand where each of us are coming morally and really learn to listen. The elections (both presidential and legislative) are less than a month away, and these are all important and good food for thought as we consider our nation’s future.
Thanks for listening!
