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JAKARTA \u2013 Indonesia\u2019s Constitutional Court has ruled against a petition calling for Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka to be disqualified from his position over questions about his education credentials.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe request of the petitioners is declared inadmissible,\u201d Constitutional Court Chief Justice Suhartoyo said on Oct 6.<\/p>\n
A group of 12 petitioners, who included former deputy law minister Denny Indrayana, had argued that Gibran had not completed the equivalent of senior high school, a requirement for presidential and vice-presidential candidates in Indonesia. They thus asked the court to invalidate his candidacy as well as his subsequent inauguration as vice-president.<\/p>\n
Gibran, 39, the eldest child of former president Joko Widodo, spent most of his secondary and tertiary education abroad, largely in Singapore and Australia.<\/p>\n
He studied at Orchid Park Secondary School in Singapore from 2002 to 2004, and then at the University of Technology Sydney\u2019s affiliated college Insearch from 2004 to 2007, Indonesia\u2019s General Elections Commission (KPU) records show.<\/p>\n
He continued his studies at the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) and completed a bachelor\u2019s degree in marketing in 2010, which was awarded by Britain\u2019s University of Bradford through its collaboration with MDIS.<\/p>\n
While Gibran\u2019s bachelor\u2019s degree is not in dispute, the petitioners questioned whether the documents that Gibran submitted to KPU to prove he had completed senior high school were valid as he had submitted only a transcript and a certificate of attendance, not a high school diploma.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he cannot produce the mandatory documents proving completion of senior high school or an equivalent level of education \u2013 such as a photocopy of a diploma, a school-leaving certificate or another official statement legalised by the school \u2013 prospective vice-presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka should not have qualified as a vice-presidential candidate, let alone been designated as the elected vice-president or inaugurated as the vice-president of the Republic of Indonesia,\u201d the petition said.<\/p>\n
In its ruling, the Constitutional Court appeared to agree with the petitioners that the documents that Gibran had submitted did not amount to a senior high school-equivalent diploma. However, the court also ruled that it could not disqualify Gibran on that basis since he is no longer a vice-presidential candidate.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the court said that since the case was essentially an election dispute, only candidates who contested the 2024 presidential election were qualified to petition the court on the matter.<\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore, the petitioners do not have the legal standing to file the case,\u201d Justice Liliek Prisbawono Adi said.<\/p>\n
After the ruling, Refly Harun, a member of the petitioners\u2019 legal team, jokingly said that this is the first time that a Constitutional Court ruling had made both sides happy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe other side is happy because Gibran has not been disqualified, but our side is also happy because Gibran has been proven not to have a senior high school diploma,\u201d Refly said at a press conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis means that there is a chance for Gibran to be impeached by Parliament.\u201d<\/p>\n
Refly added that the petitioners planned to seek an audience with Parliament leaders to discuss the matter.<\/p>\n
Parliamentary Speaker Puan Maharani had earlier declined to comment much on the case. \u201cWe respect the ongoing process at the Constitutional Court, and whatever the ruling may be, we will certainly respect the court\u2019s decision,\u201d she told reporters on Oct 6, before the ruling.<\/p>\n
President Prabowo Subianto\u2019s choice of Gibran as running mate was one of the key moments of the 2024 election as it signalled continuity with Widodo\u2019s government.<\/p>\n
Gibran\u2019s vice-presidential candidacy had been a subject of controversy even before this petition, as he did not meet the required minimum age of 40.<\/p>\n
But the Constitutional Court, then headed by Widodo\u2019s brother in-law Anwar Usman, ruled that an exemption could be made for candidates who had previously won a regional head election \u2013 Gibran was elected mayor of Surakarta in 2021.<\/p>\n
The palace has been mostly mum on the petition, with Syahganda Nainggolan, the newly appointed head of the Government Communications Agency, saying only that Prabowo respected the court\u2019s independence.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe President has said that the matter is within the authority of the judiciary and he will not intervene,\u201d Syahganda said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Gibran told reporters on Oct 7 that he respected the Constitutional Court\u2019s ruling.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost importantly, I will continue to focus on working for the public and successfully implementing the vision, mission and programmes of the President,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
When asked about the court\u2019s statement that there was no proof that he had a high school diploma, Gibran said: \u201cIf I didn\u2019t graduate from high school, then I wouldn\u2019t be able to go to university. After all, I completed my bachelor\u2019s degree in Singapore.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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