Indonesia’s current Vice President, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, officially submitted his resignation letter to the People’s Consultative Assembly (Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat or MPR) on Thursday, 12th of November.
MPR Speaker Ahmad Muzani stated that Gibran Rakabuming Raka had already submitted a similar letter to President Prabowo Subianto. He also mentioned that Gibran had requested that the letter be processed promptly.
“Gibran conveyed the purpose of his visit to meet us, as the leaders of the MPR, which was to submit a letter of resignation from his position as Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia,” Muzani said on Thursday.
Gibran’s resignation followed a controversy surrounding his position after the Constitutional Court (Mahkamah Konstitusi or MK) stated that it had found no evidence of a foreign high school diploma used by Gibran when applying for an educational equivalency certificate to qualify as a vice-presidential candidate in the 2024 Presidential Election. The contents of the MK’s deliberations subsequently prompted calls for the Vice President to resign or face impeachment.
Gibran was seen wearing a red tie when he submitted his resignation letter to the MPR on Thursday. Agung Baskoro, Executive Director of political strategy analysis institute Trias Politika Strategis, observed that the red tie might symbolise Gibran’s courage, anger and disappointment all at once. Typically, members of the Prabowo-Gibran administration, also known as the “Red and White” Cabinet, wear light blue ties. Gibran was also seen wearing a blue tie during the Heroes’ Day commemoration at the State Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday, 10th of November.
“There is a more prominent sense of anger and disappointment, as this is a historic event in the life of the Republic in the post-Reformasi era,” Baskoro commented.
Former Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Gibran’s father, remarked that he would continue to support the government.
“We continue to support the government, particularly its programmes that serve the interests of the general public,” he said at his residence in Solo, Central Java, on Thursday.
Responding to his son’s resignation as Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo simply remarked that political dynamics were a common occurrence. According to him, political positions, including that of vice president, were not permanent and were always subject to change over time.
“I have told Gibran that a position is only temporary,” he added.