Indonesian Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka Resigns Amid Diploma Crisis
Indonesian Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has resigned following a Supreme Court ruling invalidating his high school diploma, exposing a deep rift with President Prabowo Subianto.
Political turmoil has hit Indonesia as Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka submitted his resignation to President Prabowo Subianto. The dramatic move threatens to collapse the ruling coalition following a Supreme Court ruling that found his high school diploma invalid.
The controversy began when the Supreme Court ruled there was insufficient evidence that Gibran completed high school or held an equivalent foreign certificate. This prompted a parliamentary initiative by over 100 lawmakers seeking impeachment proceedings against him for failing to meet minimum educational requirements.
Gibran's appointment, as the son of former President Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi, was controversial from the start. At just 36, he was only able to run following a disputed Constitutional Court ruling that exempted him from the minimum age requirement of 40, a move seen as part of a political pact between his father and Prabowo.
The resignation exposes a deepening rift between President Prabowo and his predecessor Jokowi. Since taking office, Prabowo has shown little interest in advancing Jokowi's flagship project of building the new capital, Nusantara, focusing instead on his own school free meals program while sidelining Jokowi loyalists.
Signs of the coalition's collapse continue to multiply as Indonesia faces concurrent economic challenges, massive wildfires, and student protests.
