Mohan Sinha
07 Nov 2026, 09:28 GMT+10
JAKARTA, Indonesia: Political tensions in Indonesia are rising as several parliamentary parties consider launching an inquiry into the validity of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka's high school diploma.
The controversy has deepened the divide between President Prabowo Subianto and former president Joko Widodo, Gibran's father.
The proposal follows rulings by Indonesia's Constitutional Court and Supreme Court that Gibran's foreign high school qualifications did not meet the country's legal requirements for vice-presidential candidates. The courts also found that election officials had wrongly accepted his qualifications.
The move comes amid another controversy involving the arrest of Prabowo's former chief of staff, Listyo Sigit Prabowo, in a wiretapping scandal. The government has said the case could amount to treason. Listyo, a former national police chief, was widely regarded as a loyal supporter of Widodo.
Seven of the eight political parties represented in parliament have joined Prabowo's governing coalition, giving him a strong majority. Neither Widodo nor Gibran has a political party represented in parliament.
Officials from three parties within Prabowo's coalition and one opposition party said they were considering three possible parliamentary actions.
Under Indonesia's Constitution, lawmakers can demand an explanation from the government, launch a formal inquiry or investigation, or issue an official statement on alleged legal or constitutional violations.
Any of these steps could potentially lead to impeachment proceedings. However, none of the parties involved has raised the possibility of impeaching the vice president.
Muhammad Kholid, a senior official of the Prosperous Justice Party, said the party was examining the available options and discussing the matter with other political groups.
"We are currently reviewing these options and also communicating with other political parties," he said.
Kholid added that most political parties agreed parliament needed to act after the two court rulings.
The National Awakening Party, another member of Prabowo's coalition, is also seriously considering all three parliamentary options, party official Muhammad Khozin said.
Golkar Party lawmaker Ahmad Doli Kurnia said issuing a formal statement on the matter would be the most appropriate response to the court rulings, according to local media reports.
Golkar is a key member of Prabowo's coalition and holds the second-largest number of seats in parliament.
The vice president's office did not respond to a request for comment on the controversy.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, the only party outside Prabowo's coalition, said growing public dissatisfaction over Gibran's educational qualifications and the wiretapping scandal had increased pressure on lawmakers to act.
The party's senior official, Hasto Kristiyanto, said discussions in parliament had become more frequent as lawmakers considered using their constitutional powers.
He said the wiretapping case had added to the urgency of those discussions and strengthened calls for parliamentary action.
Get a daily dose of Milwaukee Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Milwaukee Sun.
More InformationHONG KONG: Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, who became an international symbol of the city's fight for democratic rights,...
JAKARTA, Indonesia: Political tensions in Indonesia are rising as several parliamentary parties consider launching an inquiry into...
JERUSALEM, Israel: Israel's election commission has found no evidence of fraud in last week's parliamentary election, rejecting claims...
SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia: The Villa Vie Odyssey cruise ship left Cambodia without passengers after more than 200 people who had paid...
LONDON/BUCHAREST: Repeated attacks on commercial ships in the Black Sea are increasing pressure on NATO, raising concerns that the...
LONDON, UK: Family doctors across England will take part in a world-first clinical trial to determine whether simple blood tests can...
WASHINGTON, DC - Democrats seized control of both the Senate and House at the US midterms on Tuesday, scoring sweeping victories in...
(Photo credit: Gary A. Vasquez) Luka Doncic scored a season-high 53 points and Austin Reaves added 25 as the Los Angeles Lakers extended...
(Photo credit: Benny Sieu) The short-handed Toronto Raptors came from as many as 15 points down to top the host Milwaukee Bucks 121-107...
(Photo credit: Mark Hoffman) Marquette forced 20 turnovers and held Detroit Mercy to 13 points in the second half to cruise to a...
(Photo credit: Mark Hoffman) Braeden Carrington and Owen Foxwell scored 16 points each, and Hofstra transfer Victory Onuetu added...
(Photo credit: Jim Dedmon) Well-rested Jayson Tatum tallied 34 points in a stellar outing as the Boston Celtics blew out the host...
