PSI Defends Gibran Regarding Constitutional Court Lawsuit: When Will This Diploma Issue Ever End?
The Vice Chair of the PSI Board of Trustees, Grace Natalie, has defended the Vice President of Indonesia, Gibran Rakabalaming Raka, regarding the legal challenge filed at the Constitutional Court concerning his eligibility requirements for the 2024 Presidential Election.
Grace stated that Denny Indrayana and others, acting as plaintiffs in this case, have imposed a logic that differs from how education is applied in Indonesia. “When will this diploma issue ever end? Initially, it was Mr Jokowi whose diploma was claimed to be fake, and now it is Mr Gibran. The people raising the issue are the same people. Is this issue being intentionally maintained?” Grace wrote in her Instagram post on Sunday (4/10).
Grace asserted that Denny’s arguments are problematic, claiming they are forcing the Indonesian education system onto foreign systems. “This argumentation has a very fundamental problem, which is that we are forcing the Indonesian education system to read the education system of other countries. Every country has different educational pathways,” she said.
She noted that while the Indonesian educational stages consist of primary, junior high, and senior high school followed by university, international systems are not necessarily the same. She mentioned that other countries may have more diverse pathways, such as O levels, A levels, Foundation, Pathway, diplomas, and advanced diplomas. Gibrante pursued education in three countries: Indonesia, Singapore, and Australia, all of which have different systems.
She added that these varying systems cannot be translated using Indonesian educational nomenclature. Based on this, Grace stated that the government possesses an equivalence mechanism under the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology.
“Do not forget one important fact: after UTS Insearch in Australia, Mr Gibran continued to MDIS and obtained an advanced diploma certificate, then proceeded to a Bachelor’s degree. Therefore, do not truncate his educational journey at only UTS Insearch,” she said.
Furthermore, she addressed statements from the Indonesian Embassies in Singapore and Australia, which stated they do not hold Gibran’s academic documents. She noted that there is no obligation for Indonesian students to submit their academic documents to the embassy, nor is it the duty of the embassy to collect the academic data of Indonesian students studying abroad.
“So, do not create a narrative suggesting that if the Indonesian Embassy does not possess Mr Gibran’s academic documents, it means Mr Gibran did not graduate or did not attend school there. This is highly flawed logic,” she said.
Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s educational requirements for the 2024 Vice Presidential candidacy are currently being contested by several parties at the Constitutional Court. The case is registered under number 01/PHPU.PRES-XXIV/2026 regarding the Dispute of the 2024 Presidential and Vice Presidential Election Results.
The petitioners in the case include the Independent Committee for Election Monitoring (KIPP), Partai Ummat, Denny Indrayana, and six citizens part of the Forum of Retired TNI Soldiers, M Subhan, Bonatua Silalahi, and Tiurma M.S. Sihombing.
In their petition, they are requesting the Court to declare that the educational requirements stipulated in Article 169 letter r of the Election Law are imperative and must be legally fulfilled at the time of registration and the determination of presidential and vice-presidential candidates. The petitioners are seeking the disqualification of Vice Presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka for failing to meet the educational requirements according to Article 169 letter r of the Election Law.