Indonesia | Wiretapping scandal rocks Indonesia

He can still rely on the military: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in civilian clothes during the parade for the 81st Indonesian Armed Forces Day on October 5, 2026. Photo: AFP/Bay Ismoyo The announcement was made the day before, and on Thursday Gibran Rakabuming Raka officially took the step: Indonesia's 39-year-old vice president has resigned. With the voluntary step, which may seem like a small liberation for the government, he forestalled possible impeachment. After the Constitutional Court recently ruled that the academic degrees he submitted from abroad during his candidacy were not compliant, formal impeachment proceedings would probably have been initiated shortly. However, Gibran stated that his resignation had nothing to do with the diploma dispute and was "not an admission of lack of suitability." Rather, he wanted to free up President Prabowo Subianto's team to devote themselves to the country's challenges with greater cohesion and focus. Prabowo thanked his previous deputy for his support since the election campaign. The two won the presidential election in February 2024 with almost 59 percent.

However, the resignation does not stand on its own. It is embedded in extensive political turbulence that has been shaking the populous island state, the largest Muslim nation in the world and the leading economy in the ASEAN community of states, since the beginning of the month. Despite four suspects who were arrested and are in custody at police headquarters, the background to a wiretapping scandal is still unclear. The senior, active and former police officers are accused of tapping the president's phone. To what extent, with what motive and goal and, above all, on whose behalf - we can only speculate for the time being. One name that appears at least in passing, even though no one has yet officially accused him of involvement, is that of former President Joko Widodo, alias Jokowi. This is Prabowo's immediate predecessor. He replaced him in October 2024 and is the father of the now resigned Gibran.

The relationship between Jokowi and the right-wing conservative former General Prabowo is extremely complex. Jokowi rose to the top of the state in the liberal Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) before becoming increasingly alienated from his political homeland in his second term in office. Prabowo is the former son-in-law of the late dictator Mohamed Suharto. They used to be rivals: Jokowi defeated his opponent in the 2014 and 2019 presidential elections, but ultimately brought him into the cabinet as defense minister. Although Jokowi officially remained neutral in office, Prabowo - with Gibran at his side - had at least his subliminal support two years ago.

Jokowi's youngest son, Kaesang Pangarep, is chairman of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), of which the ex-president came out as a member since 2025 some time ago. The PSI once again failed to enter parliament in the most recent election, but was part of the government team with some representatives. At the beginning of the week, the Forestry Minister and the two deputy ministers in the culture and family departments announced that they were leaving the PSI. In the context of the other events, the timing no longer seems entirely coincidental.

As far as the wiretapping scandal is concerned, the investigation is still in its early stages. Immediately after the first revelations on November 3rd, Listyo Sigit Prabowo, Ahrie Sonta Nasution and Eko Hadi Santoso were arrested. Until then, Ahrie headed the police justice department and Eko was a senior instructor at the police training center. But the main target was Listyo, who was the national police chief until October 1st, when Prabowo made him head of the presidential administration and was therefore put on a short leash, so to speak. Since he was appointed by Jokowi in 2021 and had previously worked as police chief in his largest bastion, Surakarta (Solo), he is still considered his man to this day. Two days later, Slamet Uliandi, most recently head of the technology department of the Criminal Investigation Agency, something like Indonesia's Federal Criminal Police Office, was presented as the fourth suspect.

At least officially, nothing else is known about other participants in the network in the wiretapping scandal. The case raises some mysteries. Meanwhile, the actually powerful Prabowo, who can rely on a "super majority" of all other parties in parliament with the exception of the PDI-P, is seen as more than ever weakened. When Gibran resigned, he once again made a demonstrative appeal for unity and cohesion in the huge country with its diverse population. Prabowo's approval rating is currently just 44.5 percent. A president has never achieved a lower figure since opinion polls began in Indonesia.

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