Indonesia election watchdog summons Jokowi’s son Gibran for handing out free milk

Vice-presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka allegedly violated campaign rules by handing out free milk at a ‘car-free day’ event

Officials from running mate Prabowo Subianto’s campaign team said they did not know the act had violated a 2016 Jakarta gubernatorial regulation

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Gibran Rakabuming Raka, a vice-presidential candidate and the eldest son of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, gestures during a televised debate in Jakarta on December 22. Photo: Reuters

Published: 12:31pm, 3 Jan 2024Updated: 5:17pm, 8 Jan 2024

Indonesia’s election watchdog has summoned President Joko Widodo’s son, the leading presidential candidate’s running mate, for questioning over an alleged campaign violation, an election official said.

Gibran Rakabuming Raka is seeking to be vice-president with Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto as his running mate in the February 14 election, and the pair command a solid lead over teams led by rival presidential candidates Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo.

The election watchdog (Bawaslu) chapter in Central Jakarta summoned Gibran for allegedly violating campaign rules by handing out free milk to people at a public “car-free day” event last month, the official said on Tuesday.

Gibran (centre, right) talks to running mate Prabowo Subianto (centre, left) after the first presidential election debate in Jakarta last month. Indonesia’s general elections are set to be held in February. Photo: AFP

“We need to have clarification from Gibran, we want to make sure whether it [the allegation] is right or not,” Dimas Trianto Putro, an official at Bawaslu, told reporters.

A 2016 Jakarta gubernatorial regulation bars “events for the interests of political parties” at car-free day events, during which vehicles are banned from entering major thoroughfares.

Bawaslu does not have the authority to penalise Gibran, and it was not immediately clear if city authorities would mete out any punishment.

Habiburokhman, a deputy head of Prabowo’s campaign team, said that Gibran will attend Bawaslu’s summons on Wednesday at around 1pm.