JAKARTA — Indonesia’s Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has submitted his resignation amid a dispute over his educational qualifications, in a move which could further strain the political alliance that helped propel President Prabowo Subianto to power.
Analysts have warned Gibran’s resignation could destabilize South Asia’s largest economy. He is the son of former president Joko Widodo.
It comes after Indonesia’s Supreme Court ruled that a high-school document used during Gibran’s 2024 election campaign was invalid.
The ruling prompted more than 100 lawmakers to support a parliamentary initiative that could have paved the way for proceedings to impeach Gibran.
The aide, Budi Arie, said Gibran’s resignation letter was submitted directly to Prabowo on Wednesday. It remains unclear if it has been accepted.
Gibran has long faced controversy over whether his high school qualifications met legal requirements to run for office.
Having studied in Singapore and Australia, he had used an Indonesian equivalence certificate to demonstrate his educational credentials.
Indonesian law requires vice presidents to have completed senior secondary school or its equivalent, but the Supreme Court found no evidence to prove Gibran had graduated.
“No evidence was found to show Gibran had a foreign diploma or certificate that could serve as the basis for equivalency with a senior high school or equivalent qualification,” it said.
It also considered a Constitutional Court ruling from earlier in October which came to the same conclusion.
Gibran previously argued that undertaking university education was sufficient proof that he had completed senior high school.
On Tuesday, he asked for the chance to challenge the ruling and be given the opportunity to prove the legitimacy of his education credentials, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said.
Gibran’s ascension to Prabowo’s ticket in the 2024 election was part of an alliance formed between his father, outgoing president Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi, and Prabowo, his erstwhile bitter rival.
Gibran was 36 at the time, and only became eligible for candidacy after a controversial ruling by the Constitutional Court, which exempted him from the minimum age requirement of 40.
His resignation comes as tensions between Jokowi and Prabowo appear to have flared.
Since taking the presidency, Prabowo has shown little interest in pushing ahead with Jokowi’s legacy project: the construction of Nusantara, a new capital. Instead, he has focused much of the state’s resources on his own flagship programme to provide free school meals across the country.
In a series of personnel reshuffles over the past year, Prabowo has also shifted many Jokowi loyalists into new roles, including long-serving finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.
Last week, authorities arrested presidential chief of staff Listyo Sigit Prabowo – no relation – on suspicions of wiretapping the president.
Prabowo sacked Listyo a day later, in what many pointed to as a sign of a crumbling alliance: Listyo, who formerly served as the national police chief, is widely considered a long-time ally of Jokowi.
Within the government, allegiances seem to be shifting. On Monday, three members of Prabowo’s cabinet collectively resigned from the party led by Kaesang Pangarep, Jokowi’s youngest son, citing their desire to focus on their duties in Prabowo’s administration.
All this is unfolding at a particularly turbulent period in Prabowo’s presidency. The free school meals programme is struggling for funding, parts of Indonesia have recently battled the country’s worst wildfires in a decade, and the national stock market faces crisis amid allegations of widespread market manipulation.
On Tuesday, students across the country staged demonstrations to protest against the government’s handling of a range of issues, including the environmental crisis and corruption.
Source: Saudi Gazette