Indonesia’s Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has resigned in a move that could spell the end of a political alliance between the president and his predecessor.
The speaker of the People’s Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia (MPR), Ahmad Muzani, said Mr Gibran had handed in his letter of resignation earlier today.
He said the letter would be processed by the MPR, which would take up to 60 days.
Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto said he had accepted Mr Gibran’s resignation and expressed his “deepest gratitude for Mr Gibran’s dedication, commitment and hard work” in the role, including overseeing the implementation of many government programs.
Prabowo Subianto with Gibran Rakabuming Raka (left) in 2024.
(AFP: Indonesian Presidential Palace)
“During this time, he has visited 35 provinces and 149 regencies and cities, as well as inspected 303 government project sites firsthand,” Mr Prabowo said.
“I wish Mr Gibran every success in his future career and strength and well-being for him and his entire family in the years ahead.”
The 39-year-old son of former president Joko Widodo had been facing calls to resign for weeks after court rulings over his educational qualifications.
In October, the country’s Constitutional Court found no compelling evidence that he held a high school diploma, which was required under Indonesian law to run for office.
The Supreme Court then ruled a high school equivalency certificate he had obtained was invalid.
Mr Gibran’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but after a meeting with Mr Prabowo on Tuesday he said he respected all criticism and feedback from the public.
“I do not want the current situation to become a prolonged political controversy,” he said.
The resignation was submitted just hours before Indonesia’s House of Representatives was set to meet over a petition signed by more than 120 politicians calling for Mr Gibran’s impeachment.
Political powers rivalry
Mr Gibran’s decision comes amid a widening rift between President Prabowo Subianto and former president Joko Widodo, often called Jokowi.
Mr Jokowi supported Mr Prabowo by allowing his son to run alongside his former political rival. They stormed to power with a sweeping victory.
But cracks have since emerged.
Last week, Indonesia’s former chief of police along with several other senior police officers were detained over allegations they had been wire-tapping the president and other figures.
The former police chief, Listyo Sigit Prabowo, is widely viewed as a key ally of Mr Jokowi.
The allegations, while still being investigated, were described by a presidential spokesperson as “actions that may fall into the category of acts tending towards treason”.
The petitioners in the Constitutional Court case against Mr Gibran said he submitted education documents ahead of the election that should not have been accepted by officials at the time.
University students protest in Jakarta earlier this week. (Reuters: Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana)
The applicants said the document was not a graduation certificate, but a supporting letter issued by Indonesia’s Ministry of Education, based on a Certificate of Attendance and an academic transcript from UTS College in Sydney, previously known as UTS Insearch.
The vice-president’s resignation also comes as protests take place in several cities in Indonesia over government policies and the handling of wildfires.
Prabowo faces challenge to select new vice-president
Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto will need to negotiate with his coalition partners and his own party to appoint a new vice-president. (Reuters)
University of Melbourne’s Asian Studies professor Vedi Hadiz told the ABC the Indonesian president now faced “new problems” finding a suitable replacement for Mr Gibran.
“He will need to negotiate with his coalition partners, with his own party and potentially with the military to get a person that can satisfy all of them,” he told The World’s Girish Sawlani.
“The problem is that it’s possible the person he chooses, or who gets over the line, will become an internal rival.”
Mr Hadiz said if Mr Prabowo chose someone from another party within his coalition it could strengthen that party ahead of the 2029 presidential election, but if he gave the position to someone within his own party it could end up “annoying his coalition partners”.
“It’s clear that he’s on the defensive, if not on the retreat at the moment, so he’ll have to think of ways of still exerting some influence,”
Mr Hadiz said.
“What really needs to be looked at is whether the parties that are in his coalition manage to push forward one of their own or Prabowo plays it safe and picks a vice-president from his own party that he can trust but in the process annoys his coalition partners.”
ABC/Reuters
Source: www.abc.net.au
