Indonesia's retired generals call for Vice President Gibran's impeachment, calling him 'unqualified to lead'

A group of retired military generals in Indonesia has made moves to impeach Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's eldest son.

Jakarta Post obtained a letter from the group, Forum Purnawirawan Prajurit TNI (the Retired TNI Soldiers Forum), calling for the leadership of the House of Representatives and the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) to start the legal process of removing Gibran from office.

The letter cited alleged constitutional violations, ethical breaches, and questions over his qualifications and performance as reasons for the call for dismissal.

TNI also argued that Gibran's two-year tenure as mayor of Surakarta is insufficient for the demands of the vice presidency.

They also called him "unqualified to lead".

"We urge the House and MPR to immediately process the impeachment of the Vice President based on the applicable law," the letter wrote, as quoted by Jakarta Post.

The group expressed their full support for President Prabowo Subianto in the letter.

Path to vice presidency tainted by ethics controversy

The group said that Gibran's path to becoming a vice president was tainted by ethics controversy involving a Constitutional Court ruling that changed the minimum age requirement for candidates.

The ruling was made while Jokowi was in office and authorised by his brother-in-law, former Chief Justice Anwar Usman, who was later dismissed for a serious violation of judicial ethics.

The change to the Constitutional Court ruling paved the way for Prabowo to choose Gibran, then 36, as his running mate for the 2024 presidential election.

The letter comes as Prabowo seeks to solidify support from those who were once aligned with his political rivals, CNA reported.

"The dynamic of democracy is like that"

When asked by the media to comment on the matter, Jokowi said on Friday (Jun. 6 ) that he is of the view that the president or vice president can be impeached if they commit a criminal act or serious violation, Kompas reported.

He also said that the pressure for Gibran's impeachment is a part of a dynamic democracy that can occur in an open political system.

"That's the dynamic of our democracy. It's normal. Normal. The dynamic of democracy is like that," Jokowi added.

Top image via AFP