Political debates

Dharmendra Kumar, Rewa Street, Suva

Candidate debates are not constitutionally mandated, but it is considered to be an important element in choosing the right candidate.

In the US, the presidential debates are held late in the election cycle. The debates are targeted mainly at undecided voters; those who tend not to be partial to any political party.

The advantage of a political debate is that it stimulates voter interest and also educate voters quickly and completely.

A good political debate will allow voters to assess potential leaders intellect and also check their moral compass.

A lot of campaign promises have been made and some are no doubt unrealistic.

A political debate will help settle the matters on issues such as retirement age, scholarships, the disbanded Great Council of Chiefs and other important policies. If the debate does happen than we as the voters will have the opportunity to identify false promises.

When you put people on the spot on high stake situation, they may try to wriggle out or evade truth.

My dream team for this particular political debate would be; Voreqe Bainimarama, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, Sitiveni Rabuka, Ro Teimumu Kepa, Biman Prasad and Savenaca Narube.

A political debate is like a job interview and we as the voters look for certain traits as to who gets the job.