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View all search resultsThe path to a law-abiding nation
Will Indonesia become a society governed by the rule of law or a country coopted by the interests of its ambitious leaders? It is high time for President Prabowo Subianto and lawmakers to decide.
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Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka looks on before President Prabowo Subianto's speech to lawmakers on May 20 at the Senayan Legislative Complex in Jakarta. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
I
ndonesia stands at the crossroads of another dark chapter in the country's political history that may force President Prabowo Subianto to confront his predecessor and patron Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
The Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court—the country’s two highest courts—have declared the high school graduation certificate of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka is missing, insinuating that the vice president acted unlawfully in running for the 2024 election.
The controversy has struck at the heart of public discontent surrounding his rise to office. Gibran, the eldest son of Jokowi, became Prabowo’s running mate after an earlier Constitutional Court ruling relaxed the vice presidential age requirement.
The recent court proceedings and rulings have shown that after the controversial court decision favoring Gibran, there were sweeping election regulation changes and allegedly illegal official documents issued by multiple institutions—from the General Elections Commission (KPU) to the education ministry—to accelerate his candidate registration process.
Legal experts have opined the sweeping regulation change and the illegal document issuance are indications of crimes and that Gibran has lost the legal standing to continue his position as vice president.
The President and related institutions have been so far reluctant to respond to the court rulings for an obvious reason. Any decisions that they make would be considered political since Gibran is the symbol of Prabowo’s alliance with Jokowi, who had aided him, not only with his son, but also political clout and strategic aid to win the presidential election.
This makes the recent wiretapping scandal, allegedly ordered by Jokowi loyalist and former national police chief and presidential chief of staff Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, difficult to dismiss as an isolated incident.
