Pressure mounts on Indonesian Vice President Gibran as impeachment process continues

The Star

2 days ago

JAKARTA: Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka is facing intensifying pressure as a group of retired military generals has formally petitioned the nation's legislative bodies to begin impeachment proceedings against him, just as President Prabowo Subianto appears to be consolidating support from key figures once aligned with his political rivals.
In a letter obtained by The Jakarta Post on Wednesday (June 4), the group, known as Forum Purnawirawan Prajurit TNI (the Retired TNI Soldiers Forum), called on the leadership of the House of Representatives and the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) to begin the legal process of removing Gibran from office, citing alleged constitutional violations, ethical breaches and concerns over his qualifications and performance.
'We, the Forum Purnawirawan Prajurit TNI, extend our full support to President Prabowo Subianto,' the letter states. '[However], we urge the House and MPR to immediately process the impeachment of the Vice President based on the applicable law.'
The group claims that Gibran's path to the vice presidency was marred by an ethics scandal involving a Constitutional Court ruling that lowered the age threshold for candidates. The controversial decision, issued during the administration of Gibran's father, former president Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, was authored by then-chief justice Anwar Usman, Jokowi's brother-in-law, who was later dismissed for a serious violation of judicial ethics.
They further questioned Gibran's competence, arguing that his two-year tenure as mayor of Surakarta does not meet the demands of the vice presidency. The letter also resurfaced controversy over a pseudonymous online account, 'fufufafa,' allegedly linked to Gibran, which was used to post derogatory and slanderous content.
'In his six months as vice president, Gibran has shown no capacity to assist the President. Instead, he has become a burden to Prabowo in carrying out the responsibilities of the state,' the letter reads.
'For a country as large and complex [as Indonesia], it would be deeply naive to have a vice president who is unfit and unqualified to lead.'
The group's secretary, Bimo Satrio, confirmed the authenticity of the letter to The Jakarta Post, explaining that although it was dated May 26, the letter was not submitted until Monday upon securing a crucial meeting with former vice president Try Sutrisno, a highly respected figure among military retirees.
While Try's name does not appear among the signatories, Bimo claimed that he 'gave his blessing' for the group to proceed with the petition in a meeting on May 30.
The letter was submitted on the same day Gibran appeared at a Pancasila Day event alongside Prabowo, Try and Megawati Soekarnoputri, chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and a former political patron of Gibran and Jokowi.
Political analyst Dedi Kurnia Syah described the moment as symbolically significant, interpreting it as a deliberate show of strength by Prabowo against the enduring influence of Jokowi.
'The joint appearance of Megawati, Try Sutrisno and Prabowo can be interpreted as Prabowo asserting his political strength over Gibran, and, by extension, Jokowi, especially since both Megawati and Try Sutrisno are currently aligned against the Jokowi family,' he told the Post on Wednesday.
While Dedi acknowledged that public calls for Gibran's impeachment are constitutionally valid expressions of civic discontent, he emphasised that removing a sitting leader remains procedurally difficult.
'Despite the symbolic unity of Prabowo, Megawati and Try Sutrisno in one forum, such calls for impeachment remain difficult to implement under the constitutional framework,' he said, noting that the impeachment process requires a clear legal foundation, and is not easily driven by political momentum alone.
Still, Dedi noted that Prabowo has not explicitly defended Gibran or dismissed the impeachment demands. Instead, the President delegated Special Presidential Advisor on Political and Security Affairs Wiranto to issue a carefully worded response—an indication, Dedi argued, that Prabowo is treating the petition seriously.
While most members of the ruling coalition have remained cautious or silent on their official stance, Golkar—the largest party in the House after the PDI-P and the party speculated to be Jokowi or Gibran's new political vehicle—has publicly come to the defence of the Vice President.
"Vice President Gibran was elected through a presidential election and ratified by the Constitutional Court. He has also not committed any violations that could be the basis for impeachment,' said Sarmuji, who chairs the House faction representing Golkar. - The Jakarta Post/ANN