UNAIR NEWS – The fourth vice-presidential debate in 2024 has ignited a public controversy regarding the ethical standards of the debate. Political Communication expert Dr. Suko Widodo Drs MSi from Universitas Airlangga shared his opinions in an exclusive interview with UNAIR NEWS on Monday, January 22, 2024.
He believes that debate is a democratic tradition and an appropriate means to explore values. Thus, in debate, there are no winners or losers. Debate is meant to uncover insightful ideas and serve as a tool for the public to evaluate their potential leaders.
“Debate is about promoting our ideas to be collectively accepted with various argumentations,” he said.
Ethics of debate
Apart from the theme, effective delivery and communication skills are essential in debates. Everything discussed must be clear and comprehendible. This is essential for a debate to flow swimmingly.
“To allow participants and opponents to follow the line of reasoning, the speaker must have a thorough understanding of the subject. This will lead to the emergence of reasonable counterarguments or suggestions regarding the idea,” said the Communication lecturer.
A debate aims to compare thoughts and ideas. Therefore, the theme should be the focus of the debate. He believes that excessive gestures are unnecessary.
According to him, communication combines three essential elements: logic, ethics, and aesthetics, thus, communication style becomes important for prospective leaders.
Strategy for political debate
Many people believe that the use of terms is a strategy in debates. Dr. Suko acknowledges the use of terms as a strategy, but not at a high level.
“The debate strategy consists of levels 1 to 6; ideally, the more mature the thinking, the wiser it becomes. Policy-making is at level 6, while technical stuff is at level 1. That truly reflects a person’s quality,” he said.
To achieve effective communication in a debate, terms should be clearly explained to the audience. The recommended ideas will be delivered appropriately to the public. This allows them to assess the leaders they will vote on the February 14th.
Author: Muhammad Naqsya Riwansia
Editor: Feri Fenoria
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