Education scandal pushes Indonesia's Vice-President to submit resignation

ndonesia's political establishment has been thrown into fresh uncertainty after Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka handed in his resignation, a development that threatens to expose deeper divisions within the alliance that swept President Prabowo Subianto into power.

The move follows mounting scrutiny over Gibran's academic background after the Supreme Court ruled that documents he relied on to prove his secondary school qualifications did not meet the required legal standards.

The controversy has since escalated into a political battle, with more than 100 lawmakers supporting an initiative that could have led to his impeachment.

Gibran's aide, Budi Arie, confirmed to the BBC that the resignation letter was delivered directly to Prabowo on Wednesday. However, there was no immediate confirmation that the President had accepted it.

The vice-president has faced questions about his educational history for some time, particularly whether his studies abroad qualified him to meet Indonesia's legal requirements for holding the country's second-highest office.

Gibran attended schools in Singapore and Australia before relying on an Indonesian equivalency certificate to establish that his education met the required standard.

Under Indonesian law, candidates for the vice-presidency must have completed senior secondary education or an equivalent qualification.

However, the Supreme Court said it had found no documentation establishing that Gibran had obtained a foreign certificate that could be recognised as equivalent to the required qualification.

"No evidence was found to show Gibran had a foreign diploma or certificate that could serve as the basis for equivalency with a senior high school or equivalent qualification," it said.

The court's decision also considered an earlier Constitutional Court ruling issued in October, which reached a similar conclusion.

Gibran had previously defended his academic record, arguing that his progression to university demonstrated that he had completed senior secondary education.

On Tuesday, he sought an opportunity to contest the latest ruling and present documents supporting the validity of his qualifications, according to State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi.

The dispute has placed his political future in jeopardy, with lawmakers increasingly backing efforts that could have resulted in formal impeachment proceedings.

Gibran's political rise was closely linked to the partnership between Prabowo and his father, former President Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi.

The two leaders had previously been bitter rivals but joined forces ahead of the 2024 election, creating an alliance that ultimately secured Prabowo's victory.

Gibran, then aged 36, became Prabowo's running mate despite Indonesia's constitutional requirement that presidential and vice-presidential candidates be at least 40 years old.

His candidacy was made possible by a controversial Constitutional Court decision that granted an exemption from the minimum age requirement.

However, the partnership that brought the two politicians together has increasingly come under pressure since Prabowo assumed the presidency.

One major point of difference has been the direction of government spending and the priorities of the new administration.

Prabowo has shown limited interest in advancing Jokowi's ambitious Nusantara project, which seeks to establish a new Indonesian capital. Instead, his administration has concentrated resources on a nationwide free school meals programme, one of his key campaign promises.

Changes in government appointments have also fuelled speculation about the growing distance between the two political camps.

During several Cabinet reshuffles over the past year, Prabowo moved officials associated with Jokowi into different positions. Among those affected was long-serving Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

The divisions became more apparent last week when authorities arrested presidential chief of staff Listyo Sigit Prabowo over allegations of wiretapping the President.

Although he shares a surname with the head of state, Listyo is not related to him. Prabowo dismissed him a day after his arrest, a move that attracted attention because the former national police chief is widely viewed as a close ally of Jokowi.

Political loyalties within the administration have also continued to shift.

On Monday, three members of Prabowo's Cabinet announced their departure from the political party headed by Kaesang Pangarep, Jokowi's youngest son.

The officials said they wanted to devote their attention to their responsibilities in the current administration rather than remain involved in the party.

The political tensions come at a difficult time for Prabowo, whose government is dealing with mounting economic, environmental and public pressure.

His free school meals initiative has encountered funding challenges, while several parts of Indonesia have recently experienced the country's worst wildfires in ten years.

The national stock market is also facing a crisis following allegations of widespread manipulation, adding to concerns about the country's economic stability.

Public dissatisfaction has meanwhile spilled onto the streets, with students staging demonstrations across the country on Tuesday.

The protesters raised concerns over the government's response to corruption and environmental problems, further adding to the challenges confronting Prabowo's administration as uncertainty grows over the future of the political alliance that helped bring it to power.