On October 22nd, 2023, the Minister of Defense of Prabowo announced Gibran Rakabuming Raka as his running mate for the upcoming presidential election.

Gibran Rakabuming Raka is the eldest son of the seventh President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo.

Citizens are not happy with this decision made by Gibran.

An Indonesian citizen states, “It gives us the impression that Jokowi wants to stay in political power.”

If Gibran becomes the Vice President, it could allow Jokowi to have some role in shaping the political and social direction of Indonesia.

She added, “This also speculates a thought that Jokowi is going against the leader of his party, Megawati.”

Megawati is also a candidate in the upcoming elections and is the leader of the political party, The Indonesia Party of Struggle.

Gibran is currently part of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle with Jokowi.

However, he may need to leave the party to support Prabowo- who is a part of the Great Indonesia Movement Party.

The Great Indonesia Movement Party, formed in 2008, is the third-largest party in the House of Representatives, and it serves as a political vehicle for Prabowo.

Prabowo’s political ideology is associated with nationalism and the presence of a strong military- an agenda that is very different from Jokowi’s.

Currently, with Jokowi as the President, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle is in power.

With lots of controversy in the upcoming elections, the presidential and vice-presidential registrations closed on Wednesday, October 18th, with the minimum age requirement of 40 years old.

However, Gibran was an exception.

He was a candidate with regional leadership, which made it possible for him to run alongside Prabowo despite being only 36 years old.

Gibran currently serves as the Mayor of Sukarta, Central Java.

He became the mayor in 2020, soon after he joined the political scene.

Prabowo has registered for the presidential elections in the past.

This is now his fourth attempt at gaining political power in Indonesia.

His first step into the election scene was in 2009, as he ran alongside Megawati as Vice President.

However, he attempted in the following 2014 elections as a presidential candidate after his unsuccessful experience in 2009.

Unfortunately, it led to another unsuccessful election as Jokowi was elected.

He contested the 2019 presidential elections, however, made an unsuccessful result again as Jokowi was elected for his second year as President of Indonesia.

Indonesia’s presidential term is five years, and it is possible to renew it once, resulting in a maximum of 10 years in office.

As Jokowi has been President for two consecutive terms now, he is not able to register for the presidential elections.

This law was established in 2004 after the second president, Suharto.

Suharto was the President of Indonesia for 30 years, which is recorded as the most prolonged presidential period in Indonesian history.

His presidential legacy was marked by abuses of human rights and corruption.

Therefore, the fact that Prabowo is the son-in-law of Suharto serves as a critical factor in citizens viewing Gibran’s decision negatively.

Seoyeon Choi

Grade 11

Sekolah Pelita Harapan