Projo Leader Says Gibran Submitted Resignation Letter to Prabowo

Indonesia’s Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka submitted a resignation letter to President Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday, November 11, according to Budi Arie Setiadi, leader of the Projo volunteer organization. A separate report citing unnamed sources said Prabowo had accepted the resignation, but no official announcement was available. Projo supports former president Joko Widodo, Gibran’s father. Gibran, 39, has faced a dispute over whether his education overseas meets the senior-secondary qualification required for the vice presidency. The reported submission followed a meeting with Prabowo on Tuesday, November 10, when Gibran expressed an intention to resign and said he did not want the issue to become a prolonged political controversy. On Wednesday, 120 lawmakers from eight factions also submitted a proposal for the House of Representatives to exercise its right to express an opinion, a parliamentary process that can lead toward impeachment. Deputy speaker Saan Mustopa said the proposal would be handled under the applicable rules. The government separately disputed Gibran’s account that Prabowo had recommended continuing the education-document case in the administrative court. In a November 11 statement, Government Communications Agency head Syahganda Nainggolan said he had discussed the matter with coordinating legal minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra. Yusril said, “Thus, further legal action is no longer of any use.”