Officials say Indonesia's Raka offers to resign amid academic-credentials dispute

Hadi left Raka’s status unresolved after the meeting

Indonesia’s Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 39, the son of former President Joko Widodo, offered to resign during a Tuesday meeting with President Prabowo Subianto, according to officials. State Secretariat Minister Prasetyo Hadi said the two held more than two hours of talks. Speaking at a news conference at the presidential palace in Jakarta, Hadi said it was not immediately clear whether Prabowo accepted the offer and that the president advised Raka to “continue pursuing legal avenues to defend the validity of his academic documents.”

Later that day, Raka made a brief statement to reporters as he left his office, without addressing the resignation offer. “I respect all criticism and feedback from the public regarding the developments that are taking place,” Raka said. “I do not want the current situation to become a prolonged political controversy.”

The controversy over Raka’s academic qualifications escalated last month after the Supreme Court ruled that documents he submitted regarding his overseas education did not meet election requirements. NPR’s report said the ruling intensified political pressure on Raka and fueled calls from some lawmakers for his impeachment.

NPR’s report said the resignation offer was apparently not related to an ongoing probe into allegations that top police officials, including the president’s chief of staff, Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, were involved in a wiretap targeting President Prabowo. The report said three other police generals were also implicated in the case.

Listyo previously served as national police chief under Joko Widodo, and NPR’s report said Widodo had not been implicated in the wiretapping investigation.

NPR’s report placed the developments amid what it called a “widening political rift” between Prabowo and Widodo. Widodo had backed Prabowo’s presidential bid after he chose Raka as his running mate.

Widodo separately faced allegations that he had used a fake university diploma, which he denies.

The status of the offer remained unresolved on Tuesday: Hadi said it was not immediately clear whether Prabowo had accepted it, and Raka’s statement did not mention the offer.