Gibran: Office Is Temporary, the Nation’s Unity Is Everything

Gibran Rakabuming Raka said he believes public office is only a temporary trust, a view he claims to have held since his first day as vice-president. He made the remarks after resigning from the post.

“I carried out this mandate with one firm belief: a position is only a temporary trust, while the unity and future of the nation are everything,” Gibran said in a video uploaded to YouTube by @Setwapres on Thursday (12 November).

Gibran said becoming vice-president had not been something he wanted. He said President Prabowo had asked him to take the role while he was still mayor of Solo.

“At the time, I went through a difficult inner struggle because I had to delegate the development work I had begun as mayor in my hometown,” Gibran said.

He said his decision to become vice-president had disappointed the party that had guided and nurtured him.

Gibran said he ultimately accepted the request because he saw it as a calling and an expression of trust, offered with good intentions to continue the nation’s development.

“In the end, I accepted that calling, believing that young people must be willing to take risks in pursuit of a broader service,” he said.

Gibran decided to resign as vice-president on Thursday (12 November) and formally submitted his resignation letter to the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR).

The MPR is due to hold a joint meeting on Friday (13 November) to discuss the timetable for a plenary session to elect a new vice-president to replace Gibran. The MPR has 60 days to appoint a successor.