Indonesia’s vice president Gibran Raka resigned on Thursday in the midst of a scandal over his high school diploma, the head of parliament said, adding to pressure on a government facing widespread dissatisfaction over the economy, graft and wildfires.
Raka, 39, submitted his resignation to President Prabowo Subianto and to parliament, the speaker of Indonesia’s People’s Consultative Assembly told reporters.
There have been repeated calls for Raka’s resignation following a Supreme Court ruling last month to annul his high school qualification.
Speaker Ahmad Muzani said Raka met the leaders of parliament Thursday “to submit his letter of resignation from his position as vice president of the Republic of Indonesia.”
Raka told them he had submitted the same letter to Subianto.
Indonesia’s VP does not have many constitutionally defined powers apart from acting as the president’s representative at official events and taking over if his boss is incapacitated.
Raka’s downfall comes as thousands have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest economic hardship, graft, perceived authoritarianism and the government’s handling of months of devastating wildfires emitting a toxic haze that has made thousands ill.
His exit is likely to complicate a loose governing alliance between Subianto and his predecessor Joko Widodo — Raka’s father, who goes by the moniker Jokowi.
The resignation “marks a significant political realignment, but does not necessarily threaten government stability,” according to the Executive Director, Institute for Security and Strategic Studies think tank, Khairul Fahmi.
“Jokowi will retain political influence, but Gibran’s departure could reduce his network’s direct access to power. For Prabowo, this creates greater room to consolidate his leadership and pursue his own political agenda,” Fahmi told AFP.
PUNCH Online reports on Wednesday that Indonesian police detained more than 150 people after protesters clashed with security forces in Yogyakarta city southeast of the capital overnight.
The violence followed demonstrations across several Indonesian cities on Tuesday over the government’s management of the economy, its handling of devastating wildfires and stagnant wages.
Around 100 people gathered near Yogyakarta’s parliament around 8:00 pm (1300 GMT), aiming firecrackers and hurling rocks and Molotov cocktails towards the building, police said in a statement Wednesday.
Authorities responded by deploying tactical vehicles to disperse the crowd. Police said they seized evidence including six Molotov cocktails and 12 firecrackers.
AFP
