Redefining the ‘spare tyre’? A look at Gibran’s first month as Indonesia’s vice-president

JAKARTA - In the one month since assuming office as Indonesia’s vice-president, Mr Gibran Rakabuming Raka has actively embraced his new role by distributing free lunches to schoolchildren, visiting disaster-stricken communities and establishing a dedicated public channel for direct engagement.

This proactive approach contrasts sharply with the traditional perception of the vice-presidency as a “spare tyre” – a contingency role with limited independent influence or responsibilities.

By pursuing such initiatives, Mr Gibran, the son of former president Joko Widodo, might be seen as trying to expand and redefine the scope of the position, demonstrating that it can be both dynamic and impactful.

While it is too soon to tell what political plans the 37-year-old has, he has hit the ground running.

Active engagement

Just three days after he was inaugurated, on Oct 23, local media reported that Mr Gibran inspected the government’s free nutritious lunch programme trial at a public junior high school in Jakarta.

He has since also done the same in schools around the archipelago.

On Nov 10, the Vice-President turned several heads when he made an announcement on Instagram that a physical desk for complaints had been set up at the Vice-President’s Palace in Central Jakarta.

The desk, manned by government employees, will be open from 8am to 2pm from Monday to Friday. It also has a reporting option via WhatsApp.

Called “Lapor Mas Wapres”, or Report to the Vice-President, it received 55 face-to-face complaints on its first day of operations on Nov 11.

Mr Gibran also visited East Nusa Tenggara on Nov 14 and was seen reassuring evacuees of the Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki eruptions that they would be taken care of.

Mr Gibran’s active engagements show he has taken a page out of his father’s book, said Dr Irman G. Lanti from the Padjadjaran University in Bandung: “He seems to have been learning from his father’s style of blusukan, and seems to want to be seen as continuing Jokowi’s style.”

Blusukan refers to impromptu or unannounced visits, which the former president, widely called Jokowi, used to conduct.

Mr Widodo had also set up a complaints desk during his time as Jakarta governor from 2012 to 2014.

Dr Irman added: “As a younger person, Mr Gibran definitely has more energy to do more than his predecessor, Ma’ruf Amin, who was much older than him.”

Indonesians have had mixed reactions to Mr Gibran’s recent activities.

Some, like motorcycle taxi driver Fathoni Rahman, approve of the Vice-President. Mr Fathoni went to the Lapor Mas Wapres because he wanted to be treated at a hospital closer to his home, and told local media platform Kompas that the service he received was friendly and helpful. He did not give details on what action has been taken regarding his complaint.

On social media, some netizens saw the complaints desk initiative – which Mr Gibran had also implemented when he was mayor of Solo – as an example of the Vice-President being out of his depth in the new role.

Instagram user @oky.nr said the fact that Mr Gibran saw a need for a complaints desk means that he does not understand the management of the government on a national scale. “Micromanaging is still very popular for the majority of Indonesians, especially with the intention to build personality,” he said.

Other social media users have sprung to Mr Gibran’s defence. One of them, @amikonten, said that the complaints desk is a move Mr Gibran had done while he was mayor of Solo. “Why are there still people who are saying negative things? A lot of friends have stories, even in higher levels help has been given,” she said.

Dynamics between President and Vice-President

In contrast to Mr Gibran’s first month after the country’s change of leadership, Mr Prabowo Subianto has spent a significant portion of his first month as president overseas, on visits to China and the US, and attending international summits.

Observers told The Straits Times that despite Mr Gibran’s engagements at home and Mr Prabowo being mostly overseas during this early period, the President remains in the driver’s seat of the archipelago.

ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute senior fellow Julia Lau said: “To me, it was significant that Prabowo reminded his ministers before setting off on his first tour overseas that they could directly contact him if they had pressing issues to discuss.

“And he even posted on X pictures of him conducting a remote work meeting with some (members) of his Cabinet while on the road.”

On Nov 13, the Presidential Secretariat uploaded a video of President Prabowo attending a meeting from the US via teleconference with members of his Cabinet on the situation in East Nusa Tenggara. 

When asked if Mr Gibran’s activities are any indication of what kind of political future he wants, Ms Lau, who is co-coordinator of her institute’s Indonesia Studies Programme, said it is too early to tell.

She noted that in the Indonesian context, the Vice-President role is similar to the heir to the throne, and will step in if anything happens to the President.

“In this first month, it is too early to tell what Gibran is privately planning – if at all – on what kind of V-P he wants to be. He is also stepping carefully because his president has a strong network of loyalists and Gibran’s own reputation can turn on a dime,” Ms Lau said.

She noted how quickly Indonesians can change their minds and react strongly, citing public protests in August, when political elites yielded to public pressure and stopped a controversial Bill in Parliament.

The law would have blocked candidates in November’s regional elections from contesting if they are not backed by the nation’s president.

Dr Adhi Priamarizki, a research fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, believes that the dynamics between Mr Prabowo and Mr Gibran will be revealed in time.

The young Vice-President’s political capital is largely due to the legacy and charisma of his father, and Dr Adhi said that it would be reasonable to expect Mr Gibran to want to take ownership of some initiatives so that he can build up his own political identity.

“It is understandable if Gibran requires to build his own unique credential by introducing some programmes,” he said.

“Such strategy in reality can help Gibran to have his own political capital while at the same time profiting from his father’s legacy and charisma.”