JakartaPost-June 25, 2025
The House of Representatives opted not to take up a petition to impeach Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka during Tuesday’s plenary session, a demand analysts say is unlikely to gain momentum anytime soon as the coalition aligned with President Prabowo Subianto and Gibran’s father, former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, remains united. Pressure has been mounted against Gibran in recent weeks after a group calling itself the “Retired TNI Soldiers Forum”, comprising 332 retired military personnel, formally urged the House and the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) to initiate legal proceedings to remove him from office. The group questioned Gibran’s qualifications and performance, as well as alleged constitutional violations surrounding a Constitutional Court ruling that cleared the way for him to run for office. The ruling was handed down last year by then-chief justice, and Jokowi’s brother-in-law, Anwar Usman who was later found guilty of a “serious ethics breach” for failing to recuse himself. The petition to impeach Gibran had been expected to be introduced during Tuesday’s plenary session, which marked the opening of a new legislative period following a month-long recess. Lawmakers from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the only de-facto opposition party and former political vehicle for both Gibran and his father had pressed for its consideration. However, the session attended in person by 266 of the total of 580 lawmakers was concluded without the petition being read. Deputy House Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, a senior member of President Prabowo Subianto’s Gerindra Party, claimed the House leadership had yet to receive the petition, adding that such a letter would “need to be discussed in a leadership meeting” before it is put to a vote in the plenary session. He opened the possibility of convening a House leadership meeting to discuss the letter in the coming week, adding that the House would “proceed with caution and thoroughly review the petition before making any official decision”. Under the Constitution, a president or vice president can only be removed by the MPR based on a House recommendation and only if they are found to have committed treason, corruption, bribery, other serious crimes, disgraceful conduct or no longer meet eligibility requirements. Read more at:
https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2025/06/25/house-shelves-gibran-impeachment-petition.html
