JAKARTA: The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) plans to consult other political parties in the House of Representatives on the appropriate follow-up to address Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s legitimacy as vice president following a court ruling that raised questions over his educational qualifications.
PKS secretary-general Muhammad Kholid said the move came from the request of chairman Al Muzzammil Yusuf, who instructed the party to find out other parties’ next preferred steps regarding the controversy surrounding Gibran’s high school diploma.
“The chairman has asked our representatives at the House to communicate with other parties to gauge their views and positions [on the issue],” Kholid said on Sunday (Oct 25). Kholid stressed that the PKS, which is part of President Prabowo Subianto’s ruling coalition, wanted to channel public concerns on the issue through the process in the legislature.
The party, however, had not decided whether to pursue a right of inquiry, which would allow the House to investigate matters deemed of significant public importance.
The House is currently in recess until early November. “We will see how the situation unfolds in the next sitting period,” Kholid said.
The initiative followed public questions that have arisen over Gibran’s eligibility to serve as vice president after the Constitutional Court earlier this month found no compelling evidence that he holds a high school diploma required to run in the 2024 election.
Despite the findings, the court said it could not adjudicate the case as an election dispute because Gibran has already assumed office following his election victory alongside Prabowo on the back of tacit support from Gibran’s father, former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
The court dismissed the case and said questions about his eligibility were the responsibility of other institutions. During a PKS gathering last Monday, its chairman Muzzammil called for the controversy to be resolved and “further processed in the House” in accordance with prevailing laws.
The PKS’ plan to discuss the issue with other parties has drawn support from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the only major party outside the government, with spokesperson Mohamad Guntur Romli saying the party was ready to join the discussion.
“Not only with PKS, but the PDI-P is ready to get involved with any political parties if the goal is to uphold the Constitution and the public interest, and to fight injustice and the manipulation of power,” Guntur said on Sunday. The PDI-P is Gibran’s former party and a longtime critic of his election bid.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) questioned the need for further talks in the House. The PSI, of which Jokowi is a member, has no representatives in the legislature.
“When the petitioners’ bid [to disqualify Gibran at court] has been dismissed, what is left to talk about?” PSI executive Ahmad Ali said in a response to PKS’ attempt at discussion, as quoted by Kompas.com. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
