July 17, 2025
JAKARTA – Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has suggested that political motivations are behind the allegation casting doubt on the authenticity of his academic credentials as well as the calls to impeach his son, Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
“My political instinct tells me these are attempts to damage or downgrade my political reputation,” the former president said on Monday, as quoted in a report on the Kompas TV website.
However, he said he was not bothered by the scandals: “To me, it’s nothing out of the ordinary.”
After stepping down at the end of his second and final term in October 2024, several public figures alleged that Jokowi’s senior high school certificate and other academic diplomas were fake.
His accusers included Roy Suryo, a telematics expert and former youth and sports minister, and Rismon Sianipar, a digital forensics expert and lecturer at Mataram University, as well as individuals affiliated with a group called the Ulema and Activist Defenders Team (TPUA).
Fake diplomas, revisited
The fake diploma scandal resurfaced earlier this year while the former president was reportedly recovering from an illness at his home in Surakarta, Central Java, when a lawsuit was filed with the Surakarta District Court to challenge the documents’ authenticity.
In response, Jokowi reported the plaintiffs to the Jakarta Police with reference to the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law, in particular a provision on the distribution of electronic content that incites hate or hostility, or contains false information.
On Friday, the police announced a plan to open an investigation into four of the six defamation reports filed by Jokowi.
“It was concluded [that] we found indications of a criminal offense,” Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Ade Ary Syam Indradi said on July 11, as quoted by state news agency Antara.
Ade added that investigators might need to question Jokowi as the primary complainant, as well as other witnesses as the case developed.
Read also: Police hold another case review on Jokowi’s diploma case
The announcement prompted a response from Roy, who questioned the validity of the evidence used to open a formal police investigation, pointing out that copies of the diplomas under question would be inadmissible.
“Everyone knows that under the law, a photocopy [of a document] is not considered evidence,” he said on Monday, as quoted by Kompas TV. “If it’s only a copy, it is highly irregular for the investigation to proceed.”
The recent development marks an about-turn from a decision made earlier in May, when the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) dismissed the case after investigators deemed that Jokowi’s diplomas were authentic.
The TPUA challenged that decision, however, and requested the police to review the case again. The police granted the request and held a special case review last week, to which all plaintiffs were summoned to clarify the claims in their lawsuit.
Along with Roy and Rismon, the TPUA presented its analysis on a photograph of Jokowi’s undergraduate diploma from Gadjah Mada University’s Forestry Department at the center of their legal challenge.
Although the plaintiffs have expressed confidence that the case would ultimately be brought to court despite denials from Jokowi’s legal team, the Bareskrim has not released the outcome of its case review.
The Bareskrim review will not affect the Jakarta Police’s investigation into the defamation complaint filed by Jokowi.
Impeachment call
Around the same time, retired military officers grouped in the Indonesian Military Retirees Forum (FPPTNI) called on the legislature to impeach Gibran over a judicial ethics scandal linked to his vice presidential candidacy in the 2024 election.
In a letter submitted to the House of Representatives last month, the group asked lawmakers to begin the process of bringing charges against the Vice President, though the petition for impeachment has not been brought to a House plenary session as required under law.
Read also: House shelves Gibran impeachment petition
Maj. Gen. (ret) Soenarko of the FPPTNI has dismissed Jokowi’s claim that the group’s petition to impeach his son was politically motivated.
“Our agenda is to safeguard Indonesia from irresponsible actors and nepotism,” he said on Tuesday, as quoted by Tempo.co.