What is a Panelist?
Panelists refer to participants in a panel discussion. While a panel is a forum for a group of people to discuss a problem that is currently relevant in society.
Usually the person chosen to be a panelist is someone who is considered an expert and able to represent general views regarding the topic to be discussed.
In addition to being involved in discussion forums, panelists are also often involved in various meetings such as open debates, court hearings, or hearings at the Supreme Court and Constitutional Court.
Duties of Panelists
Hikmahanto Juwana, Professor of the Faculty of Law, University of Indonesia (FHUI) explained several roles and functions of panelists in the presidential and vice presidential debate. Here are some of the duties of panelists in the presidential and vice presidential debate as explained by Hikmahanto, quoted from Antara News :
- Ask a number of questions to control the debate.
- Helping the public to dig deeper into the capabilities of presidential and vice presidential candidates in various matters.
- Formulate questions as a form of public curiosity but not to make things difficult for the presidential and vice presidential candidates.
- Acting as a society that is thirsty for information on candidates and sensitive to current conditions in society.
- Can pursue the answers given by the candidates, but with the aim of getting a clear answer.
- Asking questions that must be relevant to the problems faced by the community.
- Can ask questions that raise controversy in society to find out the political views of the candidates.
- Questioning the programs proposed by the candidates so that the public can differentiate as much as possible between the advantages and disadvantages of each program.
- Deliver questions in easy-to-understand language so that candidates or the public do not have difficulty understanding the context.
The role of the panelists in a debate is not only about delivering arguments well but also creating a productive and beneficial debate environment for the audience.
That is the explanation of the panelist which refers to a group of experts involved in the discussion. Hope it is useful!