Do we like Gibran Rakabuming Raka?
Our score: 5 out of 10. No harmful words of his own turned up, but the diploma cloud, the dynasty questions and a blank record on LGBTQ+ issues keep this in the middle.
Gibran is the eldest son of former president Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi. Before politics he ran a catering firm and the Markobar martabak chain, and years earlier said he wanted to be a businessman, not a politician. He won the Solo mayoralty in 2020, took office in 2021, focused on infrastructure, and resigned in July 2024 to run for vice president.
The way he got there is the story. In October 2023 the Constitutional Court changed the age rule so that under-40s who had held elected office could run, and Gibran was 36. The chief justice at the time was Jokowi's brother-in-law, who was later dismissed for a serious ethics violation, and critics accused Jokowi of building a dynasty. Jokowi denies orchestrating it and says the decision was Gibran's.
The style got him in trouble too. In a January 2024 TV debate he was criticised for mocking an opponent, using the word 'greenflation' and declining to explain it, which critics called arrogant and supporters called resilient. Then there is the anonymous 'fufufafa' online account, which is alleged to be linked to him and to have posted derogatory content, as a retired generals' letter revived in 2025.
The fresh mess is the diploma. Petitioners told the Constitutional Court that the document he submitted was an Education Ministry supporting letter, not a graduation certificate. The court found no convincing evidence he holds a foreign diploma equal to senior high school, yet dismissed the petition because he'd already been sworn in and only candidates can challenge a result. Experts told the ABC that impeachment is still possible, and the ABC says it asked Gibran's office for comment.
On the harm test, the honest answer is a gap. We found no statement from him on LGBTQ+ rights either way, and no anti-vax, climate-denial or conspiracy slide. Women's groups slam the government's first-year gender record, including a cut to the violence-against-women commission's budget, but that's the Prabowo government's ledger, not something sourced to him. He is also described as having shrinking influence in the job.
The good side is real but modest. In October 2026 he told a pastors' congress the state must guarantee religious freedom, apologised for intolerance Christians still face, and said signs of it must be addressed swiftly. He also chairs the board steering Papua's special autonomy development, urging faster delivery in Manokwari in November 2025.