Indonesia VP Gibran formally submits resignation amid controversy over educational qualifications

Indonesia VP Gibran formally submits resignation amid controversy over educational qualifications The Upper House will now have three days to officially approve his resignation and another 60 days to select a replacement. JAKARTA: Indonesia’s Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka officially submitted his resignation letter to the parliamentary Upper House on Thursday (Nov 12), ending days of speculation over his future in the Cabinet. Gibran, the 39-year-old son of former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, had come under intense pressure to resign after the country’s Constitutional Court and Supreme Court made separate rulings last month that his education documents did not meet election requirements. The vice president arrived at the parliamentary complex in Jakarta at 11.15am where he was immediately mobbed by awaiting journalists. Gibran refused to answer any questions and went straight inside for a private meeting with leaders of the People's Consultative Assembly or MPR, the Indonesian Upper House. He emerged from the meeting at around 11.35am without saying a word and went straight to his black Toyota Innova SUV waiting at the lobby. "Gibran explained his intention in meeting leaders of the People’s Consultative Assembly, which is to submit his resignation from his position as vice president of Indonesia. The same letter, he said, was also submitted to the president of indonesia, Prabowo Subianto," MPR speaker Ahmad Muzani told reporters. According to the Indonesian Constitution, the Upper House will then have three days to officially approve his resignation and another 60 days to select a replacement. Budi Arie Setiadi, a former minister and a close aide of the Jokowi family, said on Wednesday that Gibran had earlier tendered his resignation to Prabowo Subianto. Gibran met Prabowo for two-and-a-half hours on Tuesday morning, during which he expressed an intention to resign, according to presidential spokesperson Prasetyo Hadi. Later on Tuesday afternoon, Gibran told reporters that Prabowo had advised him to continue fighting his case over his educational records, including seeking a judicial review of a Supreme Court ruling. However, calls for his ouster have since intensified. On Tuesday, hundreds of people took to the streets of Jakarta and other cities to protest a number of government policies with Gibran’s impeachment also on the agenda of some groups. On Wednesday, 120 parliamentarians from all eight factions of parliament signed the proposal to exercise the House of Representatives' right to express an opinion, a mechanism that could potentially lead to impeachment proceedings against Gibran. On Oct 30, Indonesia's Supreme Court annulled Gibran's overseas high school education equivalency certificate less than a month after the Constitutional Court found insufficient documentary evidence establishing that Gibran’s foreign schooling met the relevant qualification requirements. Analysts say the controversy has widened a rift between Prabowo and Jokowi, whose support was instrumental in securing the Prabowo-Gibran ticket's victory in the 2024 election. Speaking to reporters from his house in Central Java, Jokowi said on Thursday that he has given Gibran some words of encouragements before his appearance at the parliament. "I have told Gibran that positions are temporary. We will continue to support the administration of President Prabowo, particularly his pro-people programmes," he said as quoted by Kompas TV.