Witness Testimony Puts Gibran’s Candidacy Documents Under Fresh Scrutiny
Kabarsaji.com – A Constitutional Court hearing held on October 1 and 2, 2026, brought renewed attention to the educational documents used by Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka when he registered as a vice-presidential candidate in the 2024 election. Petitioners led by Denny Indrayana argue that testimony presented during the evidentiary sessions supports their claim that Gibran did not meet the required educational criteria.
The case, registered as No. 01/PHPU.PRES-XXIV/2026, challenges the validity of the documents connected to Gibran’s candidacy. Denny and 11 other petitioners maintain that the issue is not merely procedural: they contend that an alleged lack of verified proof of high school graduation goes to the core of whether Gibran should have been eligible to run.
Equivalency Application at the Center of the Case
One of the key witnesses was Taufiq Damarjati, a senior curriculum specialist at the Educational Standards, Curriculum, and Assessment Agency within the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. His testimony focused on an online application for educational equivalency submitted by Gibran.
Taufiq told the court that the application included academic transcripts and a certificate of attendance. However, it did not include either a secondary-school diploma or a graduation certificate. That distinction became central to the petitioners’ argument.
A certificate of attendance, Taufiq explained, indicates that someone participated in a course or period of study. It is not, by itself, proof that the person completed the program or graduated from it. For the petitioners, this difference is significant because vice-presidential registration requirements are tied to educational qualifications.
“This reinforces the argument that Gibran should be disqualified,” Denny said when contacted on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
Denny said the hearing suggested that Gibran entered the vice-presidential race without documentation that conclusively established completion of high school. He argued that this created an administrative flaw in the candidacy process involving the eldest son of former President Joko Widodo.
“This proves there’s an administrative defect,” Denny said.
Questions Over Election Regulation Process
The petitioners also pointed to testimony connected with the Election Supervisory Body, or Bawaslu, and a provision in General Elections Commission Regulation No. 19 of 2023. Article 18, paragraph 3, addresses applicants whose secondary education qualifications were obtained abroad.
The provision says that candidates with foreign secondary qualifications do not have to submit a copy of a high school diploma or graduation certificate. That exception has become an important element of the legal dispute because Gibran’s education included study outside Indonesia.
Denny argued that the hearing raised questions not only about the application of the rule, but also about how it entered the regulation. Bawaslu testimony indicated that the clause had not undergone public testing or consultation with the House of Representatives, known as the DPR. Instead, it was inserted during the final harmonization stage at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights.
For the petitioners, that process matters because election rules determine which documents candidates must provide before appearing on the ballot. They argue that a requirement affecting a candidate’s eligibility should be developed through a transparent regulatory process, particularly when it creates an exemption from submitting graduation evidence.
“In conclusion, there are administrative and manipulative defects. Thus, Gibran is eligible for disqualification,” said Denny, a former Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights.
Singapore Qualification Also Discussed
Another witness, education expert Ina Setiawati, addressed Gibran’s studies at the Management Development Institute of Singapore, or MDIS Singapore. She stated that he completed an advanced diploma before continuing to a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in marketing.
The academic sequence itself was not presented as evidence that the advanced diploma automatically matched an Indonesian high school credential. Ina emphasized that education systems and curricula differ from one country to another, making direct equivalency a separate question.
“What I can state, based on official documents from MDIS, is that the advanced diploma is a qualification that was completed before Gibran continued to the undergraduate level,” Ina told the hearing on Friday, October 2, 2026.
Her evidence highlights a distinction at the center of the dispute: completing a post-secondary or specialized qualification does not necessarily settle whether a person has fulfilled a particular secondary-school requirement under Indonesian election rules. The court must consider both the educational record and the legal framework used to assess it.
Why the Case Matters
The petition does not concern an ordinary dispute over academic history. It tests how election authorities verify candidate qualifications, particularly when education was pursued overseas and documents do not follow the standard Indonesian format. It also raises broader questions about the authority of election bodies to set exceptions through regulation.
For the petitioners, the testimony from Taufiq, Bawaslu, and Ina forms a connected argument: the equivalency application lacked a conventional graduation document, the regulatory exception was introduced without the public and legislative consultation they expected, and the advanced diploma cannot simply be treated as equivalent to a high school diploma.
The Constitutional Court’s assessment will therefore have consequences beyond the individual documents at issue. Its review will help clarify the level of evidence expected from candidates with foreign educational backgrounds and the standards that election institutions must follow when drafting and applying eligibility rules.
As the proceedings continue, the legal focus remains on whether Gibran’s documents satisfied the requirements in force during the 2024 vice-presidential candidacy process, and whether any administrative shortcomings identified by the petitioners are sufficient to affect his eligibility.
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