How Witness Testimonies Could Disqualify Gibran Rakabuming Raka - Tempo.co English
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The petitioner in the 2024 presidential election dispute, Denny Indrayana, views witness and expert testimony during the Constitutional Court evidentiary hearing on October 1–2, 2026, as reinforcing the petition's demands. The petitioners are contesting the validity of Gibran Rakabuming Raka's educational documents used as a prerequisite for his vice-presidential candidacy.
He highlighted testimony from Taufiq Damarjati, a senior curriculum expert at the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education's Educational Standards, Curriculum, and Assessment Agency. During the hearing, Taufiq disclosed that Gibran submitted an online equivalency application attaching academic transcripts and a certificate of attendance, but omitted a high school diploma or graduation certificate.
According to Taufiq, a certificate of attendance merely confirms an individual's presence during a course of study rather than proving completion of that education. "This reinforces the argument that Gibran should be disqualified," Denny told Tempo when contacted on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
He emphasized that the testimony indicates Gibran ran for vice president without providing verified proof of high school graduation. In other words, Denny argued, the eldest son of former President Joko Widodo failed to fulfill basic candidacy prerequisites and ought to be disqualified from office.
"This proves there's an administrative defect," said Denny. The dispute lawsuit by Denny Indrayana and 11 other parties is registered at the Constitutional Court under case number 01/PHPU.PRES-XXIV/2026.
According to Denny, another compelling piece of testimony came from the Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) concerning Article 18, Paragraph (3) of General Elections Commission (KPU) Regulation No. 19 of 2023. The clause stipulates that candidates holding foreign secondary qualifications are not required to attach copies of a high school diploma or graduation certificate.
The issue, Denny noted, is that Bawaslu's testimony revealed the clause was never subjected to public testing or legislative consultation with the House of Representatives (DPR). Instead, the provision was inserted during final regulatory harmonization at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights.
"In conclusion, there are administrative and manipulative defects. Thus, Gibran is eligible for disqualification," said the former Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights.
Additionally, expert witness Ina Setiawati stated that Gibran completed an advanced diploma and pursued a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in marketing from the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS Singapore). However, according to Ina, an advanced diploma cannot automatically be equated with a high school diploma.
This is because curriculum and education systems across countries are not identical. "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 explained in the hearing on Friday, October 2, 2026.
