Gibran Granted Equivalence Without Diploma, Court Hears - Tempo.co English
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The presidential election dispute (PHPU) hearing for Case No. 01/PHPU.PRES-XXIV/2026 at the Constitutional Court on Friday, October 2, 2026, uncovered new facts regarding the academic credentials of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education confirmed that it never received Gibran's high school diploma during the educational equivalence application process.
The evidentiary hearing probed the legitimacy of Gibran's candidacy registration in the 2024 presidential election.
In his testimony, the ministry's curriculum development expert Taufiq Damarjati explained that Gibran submitted an online equivalence application attaching only a transcript and a Certificate of Attendance, without a diploma or graduation certificate. "At the time of submission, there was no diploma attached," Taufiq testified at the court's building in Jakarta.
Deputy Chief Justice Saldi Isra briefly reconfirmed the point. Taufiq reiterated that when the application was filed on August 6, 2019, no high school diploma was included. According to Taufiq, applying for educational equivalence using a Certificate of Attendance is unprecedented. He emphasized that the document fails to prove an individual's graduation status.
"The Certificate of Attendance is merely a statement that the individual pursued education at UTS Insearch. It confirms attendance, but not completion status," he stated.
Nevertheless, on the very day the application was submitted, the ministry issued Certificate No. 9149/D.D1/KS/2019. The document stated that the education completed by former President Joko Widodo's eldest son at University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Insearch is equivalent to a vocational high school (SMK) diploma in Accounting and Finance in Indonesia.
Gogot Suharwoto, Director General of Early Childhood, Basic, and Non-Formal Education at the ministry, added that Gibran attached eight documents when submitting his application. These documents included academic records from State Junior High School (SMP Negeri) 1 Surakarta, Orchid Park Secondary School in Singapore, and UTS Insearch in Australia.
Gogot explained that competency alignment assessments showed Gibran's academic background was compatible with the Vocational School (SMK) Accounting and Finance curriculum. "The equivalence certificate was subsequently issued on August 6, 2019, under Certificate No. 9149/D/D1/KS/2019 and signed by the Secretary of the Directorate General of Basic and Secondary Education," Gogot said.
The General Elections Commission (KPU) records show Gibran attended Orchid Park Secondary School in Singapore from 2002 to 2004. He then enrolled at the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) in 2007, having also studied technology at UTS Insearch in Australia from 2004 to 2007.
The PHPU lawsuit was filed by former Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights Denny Indrayana alongside co-petitioners. They allege administrative defects and irregularities in Gibran's candidacy registration.
Denny argued that Gibran's equivalence certificate is procedurally flawed because it was granted without proof of high school graduation. He also highlighted the unusually swift issuance process, which was finalized in under 24 hours.
"The application was submitted on August 6 and completed on August 6, whereas usually [processing] requires at least five working days," Denny stressed.
Additionally, the petitioners submitted General Elections Commission Regulation (PKPU) No. 19/2023 as evidence. They contend that the revised regulation reveals deliberate rule manipulation, specifically by exempting foreign graduates holding higher education degrees from presenting equivalent high school diplomas.
