Gibran Rakabuming Raka

Political Operations Behind the Diploma Issue: The Integrity of Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s Educational Record within the Framework of Indonesian National Education Law and Policy

By

MYR Agung Sidayu, Yayasan pendidikan Indonesia , Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC, United Nations, since 2013

Abstract

The issue concerning the validity of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s educational documents, which resurfaced following a Constitutional Court decision, has evolved into an arena of intense political contestation. This article provides an in-depth analysis of Gibran’s educational record within the framework of national education law, particularly Law No. 20 of 2003 on the National Education System (the Sisdiknas Law) and relevant ministerial regulations governing the equivalence of foreign educational qualifications. Employing a normative-juridical approach combined with an analysis of administrative facts, the article argues that no fundamental defect exists in the educational record in question. On the contrary, the persistent circulation of this issue reveals a pattern of political operations that exploit regulatory gaps and public framing.

As a relevant comparative case, the article also examines the academic degree of Constitutional Court Justice Arsul Sani, which previously generated public controversy. Verification conducted by the Indonesian Education Foundation confirmed the authenticity of that degree; however, it emphasises that foreign credentials remain incomplete without an equivalence certificate issued by the competent ministry—an obligation that Gibran has fulfilled. The facts of completed and officially equated higher education, the formal processes undergone during candidacy, and the limits of the Constitutional Court’s authority constitute the principal foundations of the argument.

1. Introduction: From Administration to the Political Arena

The statement by Hasto Kristiyanto, Secretary-General of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), that the Constitutional Court’s decision on educational requirements “undermines the legitimacy” of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka and constitutes a political burden for President Prabowo Subianto is a strong assertion carrying high political charge. Conversely, former President Joko Widodo has characterised the issue as part of a political operation exploited by free riders. Although originating from differing perspectives, these statements open space for a calmer, more systematic, and fact-based examination.

In a constitutional democracy, the educational documents of public officials may legitimately be subject to verification. However, when completed administrative verification is transformed into a sustained instrument of political delegitimisation, the matter ceases to concern legal compliance and becomes instead the politicisation of state administrative instruments. This article seeks to restore the issue to its proper proportion: as an administrative question already resolved through official mechanisms, rather than as a constitutional defect that nullifies the legitimacy of office.

2. The Legal Framework of National Education: The Sisdiknas Law and the Obligation of Equivalence

Law No. 20 of 2003 on the National Education System constitutes the primary legal umbrella governing the organisation of education in Indonesia. The Sisdiknas Law affirms fundamental principles, including recognition of educational outcomes, equitable access, and quality assurance. Although the Law does not regulate in detailed or technical terms the mechanisms for equating diplomas or qualifications obtained under foreign education systems, it provides the philosophical and juridical foundation for such recognition through the principles of recognition of learning outcomes and educational quality assurance.

The obligations and technical procedures for the equivalence of foreign educational qualifications are further regulated by ministerial regulations. For higher education, provisions concerning the equivalence of diplomas from foreign higher education institutions are set out, inter alia, in regulations of the Minister of Research, Technology, and Higher Education and their successors, including Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Regulation No. 6 of 2022 on Diplomas, Competency Certificates, Professional Certificates, Degrees, and the Equivalence of Diplomas from Foreign Higher Education Institutions (subsequently adjusted by newer regulations). These regulations establish that diplomas obtained from foreign higher education institutions may be equated with the Indonesian higher education system upon fulfilment of requirements relating to the accreditation of the issuing institution, authenticity of documents, and substantive assessment.

At the primary and secondary education levels, equivalence services are administered by the ministry responsible for primary and secondary education through a mechanism of documentary assessment of learning outcomes from foreign education systems. This process is administrative-evaluative in nature: it assesses the continuity of the educational record, the congruence of curricula or learning outcomes, and supporting documentation. The result is formalised in an equivalence certificate rather than the issuance of a new diploma.

It should be noted that in October 2026 the House of Representatives’ Commission X publicly acknowledged the existence of regulatory gaps. Deputy Chair of Commission X Lalu Hadrian Irfani stated that equivalence mechanisms have hitherto relied predominantly on internal ministerial regulations and lack a sufficiently specific statutory foundation. Consequently, the planned revision of the Sisdiknas Law is expected to incorporate clearer provisions governing equivalence mechanisms, grade conversion, and criteria for the recognition of foreign qualifications. This acknowledgment strengthens the argument that the processes undertaken by Gibran at the relevant time were consistent with the regulations then in force.

3. Gibran’s Educational Record: Empirical Facts and Sequential Logic

Gibran Rakabuming Raka completed primary education at SDN Mangkubumen Kidul 16, Solo (1993–1999), followed by junior secondary education at SMP Negeri 1 Surakarta (1999–2002). He subsequently continued his studies at Orchid Park Secondary School, Singapore (2002–2004), a pathway programme at UTS Insearch, Sydney, Australia (2004–2007), and thereafter obtained an Advanced Diploma and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Marketing through the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS), affiliated with the University of Bradford, United Kingdom.

His bachelor’s degree (S1) has been officially equated. Equivalence processes at the secondary level were likewise completed, resulting in official certificates issued by the competent authorities. These documents formed part of the considerations in the Constitutional Court proceedings.

Educational logic is cumulative and sequential. Successful completion of a bachelor’s degree presupposes mastery of competencies and knowledge built upon preceding levels. To disregard the successful completion of higher education while focusing solely on the absence of a particular form of documentation at the secondary level constitutes a fragmentary approach inconsistent with the principle of educational continuity. In international practice, many countries recognise pathway programmes, foundation years, and various forms of non-traditional learning outcome documentation, provided that learning outcomes can be verified.

4. Comparison with the Case of Arsul Sani’s Degree: Authenticity versus Administrative Completeness

As a highly relevant and contemporary comparative case, the academic degree of Constitutional Court Justice Arsul Sani, which previously generated public controversy and even a police report, warrants examination. In the exercise of its independent verification function, the Indonesian Education Foundation conducted official confirmation regarding the validity of that degree. The response obtained affirmed that Arsul Sani’s degree is valid and authentic.

Nevertheless, the authenticity of academic documents alone does not automatically render foreign credentials complete and fully recognised within Indonesia’s educational administrative system. Regulations governing foreign educational qualifications require an equivalence certificate issued by the ministry competent in higher education. Without such an equivalence document, formal recognition in the context of state law and administration remains incomplete.

Here lies the striking and substantive difference with Gibran’s case. Gibran not only completed higher education abroad but also actively fulfilled the administrative obligation by applying for and obtaining an equivalence certificate from the competent authority. That process has been completed, documented, and referenced in the Constitutional Court’s considerations. By contrast, at the time of verification, no publicly available digital record indicated that Arsul Sani’s degree had undergone a comparable equivalence process.

This comparison is significant for two reasons. First, the standards applied to public officials should be consistent: authenticity of documents is a preliminary requirement, yet administrative completeness through equivalence constitutes an obligation prescribed by ministerial regulation. Second, selectivity in the circulation of the issue—whereby one case is intensely amplified while another possessing incomplete administrative dimensions remains relatively quiet—reinforces the indication of selective and disproportionate political operations.

5. Analysis of the Constitutional Court Decision and the Limits of Its Authority

The Constitutional Court declared the petition inadmissible on the ground that the petitioner lacked legal standing. The Court noted that it did not find foreign diplomas, certificates, or other documents convincingly demonstrating graduation equivalent to senior secondary education in the form demanded by certain parties. Nevertheless, the Court expressly stated that it could not disqualify Gibran, who had already been inaugurated as Vice President, and referred the assessment of the validity of requirements to the competent institutions in accordance with the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia.

The decision neither annulled the election results, nor invalidated the inauguration, nor declared the existence of a fatal defect extinguishing the legitimacy of office. Consequently, the framing that the decision “undermines legitimacy” constitutes a political interpretation that exceeds both the content and the limits of the decision itself.

6. The Political Dimension: Patterns of Operation and Public Framing

It is at this point that political operations function effectively. An issue that ought to have been resolved within the administrative domain and the General Elections Commission’s verification processes of 2023–2024 is revived, framed as a question of constitutional legitimacy, and projected into the public sphere as a “burden” upon the incumbent government. Narratives of undermined legitimacy prove easier to amplify than acknowledgment that the entire formal sequence of candidacy, determination, election, and inauguration has been completed.

Observation of the pattern of issue circulation reveals recurring characteristics: the issue is raised at particular moments, magnified through media and statements by public figures, and linked to longer-term political dynamics leading toward 2029. Yet if the matter were purely administrative, proportionate legal and oversight mechanisms already exist. The politicisation of educational documents that have undergone formal processing obscures substantive facts. The comparison with Arsul Sani’s case further clarifies the existence of double standards in the manner educational issues are circulated in the public sphere.

7. The Responsibility of Educational Institutions and International Reputation

Foreign educational institutions that issued the relevant documents bear a moral and academic responsibility to provide clarification when requested. UTS College (formerly UTS Insearch) and institutions in Singapore retain the right to protect personal data confidentiality, yet they also possess reputational interests. If the qualifications they have issued are continually questioned without complete context, the image of these institutions as serious providers of education may be affected. The same applies to the education systems of the countries of origin.

8. Policy Implications and Recommendations

This case simultaneously offers important lessons for the national education system. First, the revision of the Sisdiknas Law should incorporate more explicit provisions governing the equivalence of foreign qualifications, including criteria for acceptable documents, assessment standards, process transparency, and mechanisms for objection. Second, enforcement of the equivalence obligation must be consistent and non-selective—applicable equally to executive and judicial officials. Third, a clear separation between the administrative domain of education and political contestation must be maintained in order to prevent erosion of public trust in institutions.

9. Conclusion

The loose ball of the diploma issue has indeed rolled far into the political domain. Yet the true burden does not rest solely upon an individual who has completed formal processes. That burden more properly attaches to efforts to politicise educational documents long since processed, while disregarding the fact that the completion of equated higher education constitutes strong evidence of a prior educational foundation.

Within the framework of the Sisdiknas Law and ministerial regulations governing the obligations and mechanisms of equivalence for foreign education, the educational facts concerning Gibran Rakabuming Raka remain intact. He has fulfilled the required administrative obligations. By contrast, the case of Arsul Sani’s degree—although verified as authentic by the Indonesian Education Foundation—still leaves open administrative questions regarding the completeness of equivalence.

Political operations may continue to be amplified through various narratives and double standards, but administrative and academic truth does not collapse with them. A healthy democracy demands verification that is proportionate, consistent, and non-selective, rather than endless politicisation.