Forum of Retired TNI Soldiers Urges Response on Impeachment Proposal Against VP Gibran

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Forum of Retired TNI Soldiers hopes that the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) and People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) will respond to the impeachment letter against Gibran Rakabuming Raka as the vice president at the end of this month.

A representative of the Forum of Retired TNI Soldiers, Dwi Cahyo Suwarsono, revealed this as the deadline. 'We already have a deadline for the DPR to respond to our letter, although it is not mentioned in the letter,' said Dwi Cahyo when contacted by Tempo on June 27, 2025.

The former ad hoc Supreme Court judge of 2022 stated that the forum of retired soldiers will still consider the next steps if the DPR and MPR do not respond to their letter.

Meanwhile, Constitutional Law Expert at Andalas University, Feri Amsari, stated that the Indonesian DPR is not seriously responding to public aspirations if they do not respond to the Forum of Retired TNI Soldiers' letter. He also mentioned that there is no other way to impeach Gibran other than through the DPR-MPR.

'I think it will be difficult to find another way if the DPR does not act,' said Feri to Tempo.

Previously, Vice Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, stated that the leadership of the DPR has not yet received a letter from the Forum of Retired TNI Soldiers proposing the impeachment of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. He reasoned that the DPR has just opened its fourth session for the 2024-2025 period.

'The official letter from the General Secretariat has not been sent to the leadership,' said Dasco when met at the Parliament Complex, Jakarta, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.

Dasco explained that every incoming letter will be discussed in a leadership meeting and will continue in the Deliberation Body. The Gerindra Party politician stated that this mechanism could begin next week. Currently, Dasco stated that the DPR is handling the issue with caution before any action is taken by the People's Representative Council.

'We must handle this carefully and we will carefully consider it before any action is taken by the People's Representative Council,' he said.

Chairwoman of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, stated that she has not yet received a letter from the Forum of Retired TNI Soldiers regarding the impeachment proposal against Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

'I have not seen it, it's still in the session,' said Puan at the Parliament Complex, Jakarta, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.

According to Puan, all incoming letters during the recess period are still at the General Secretariat of the DPR.

Puan also did not answer whether the letter will be read in the next plenary session.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the MPR, Ahmad Muzani, stated that he has not received any further information regarding the letter from the Forum of Retired TNI Soldiers. According to Muzani, the General Secretariat of the MPR has not reported the letter to him.

'To be honest, I have not received any updates from the secretariat until today,' said Muzani at the parliament complex, Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.

Muzani stated that there has been no communication among the leaders of the MPR regarding the proposal to remove Gibran from the position of vice president. 'Not yet, maybe there is or there isn't, I don't know,' said the Secretary General of the Gerindra Party.

Regarding discussions with other parliamentary leaders such as Vice Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, Muzani also stated that there have been no such discussions. 'I often meet with Mr. Dasco but we do not discuss that, we discuss other matters,' said Muzani.

On June 2, 2025, the Forum of Retired TNI Soldiers officially sent a letter to the People's Consultative Assembly and the House of Representatives to propose the impeachment of Gibran. In the letter numbered 003/FPPTNI/V/2025, the Forum of Retired TNI Soldiers conveyed several legal views on the reasons why Gibran should be removed.

They viewed the nomination process of the eldest son of former president Joko Widodo as not separate from family relations intervention through the chairman of the Constitutional Court at that time, Anwar Usman.

The Forum of Retired TNI Soldiers considered the nomination process involving Gibran's uncle to be contrary to the principles of impartiality of the judicial institution and the fair trial principle in constitutional law.

The retired soldiers also questioned the propriety and suitability of Gibran as a vice president. According to the Forum of Retired TNI Soldiers, the former mayor of Solo still lacks the capacity and experience to serve as the number 2 in Indonesia.

'It is very naive for this country to have a vice president who is not worthy to lead the Indonesian people of this magnitude,' said Secretary of the Forum of Retired TNI Soldiers Bimo Satrio, citing the contents of the letter.

The suspicion of Gibran's connection in a Kaskus account named Fufufafa was also included in the legal argument of the retired soldiers. The Forum of Retired TNI Soldiers also mentioned the corruption allegations involving Gibran and his brother, Kaesang Pangarep, reported by Ubedilah Badrun to the Corruption Eradication Commission in 2022.

'Based on these descriptions, we urge the DPR to immediately process the impeachment of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka,' he said.

Dian Rahma Fika, Ervana Trikarinaputri and Andi Adam Faturahman contributed to the writing of this article.

Editor's Choice: VP Gibran Envisions Halal Industry as Catalyst for Indonesia's Development

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News