KPU's Decision On Information On The Ijazah Of Impressed Presidential And Vice Presidential Candidates To Protect Gibran And Jokowi

DOC VOI

JAKARTA - The General Elections Commission (KPU) canceled the Indonesian KPU Decision Number 731 of 2025 concerning Determination of the Requirement Document for Candidates for President and Vice President as Public Information Excepted by the KPU.

The cancellation of this rule was announced after the KPU's decision to limit access to information on the presidential and vice presidential diplomas was criticized by the public.

The KPU decision contains provisions regarding the 16 registration requirements for presidential and vice-presidential candidates as information that is excluded or cannot be disclosed to the public without the approval of the relevant parties.

Dozens of these documents include e-KTP and birth certificates, Police Records Certificates (SKCK), health certificates from government hospitals appointed by the KPU, life history lists, short profiles, and track records of every prospective candidate, diploma, to State Administrators Wealth Reports (LHKPN).

Related to this, political communication observer from Esa Unggul University, Jamiluddin Ritonga, assessed that the decision issued by the KPU was impressive for the benefit of a certain figure. Because according to him, the KPU's decision was issued after the presidential election was over, namely August 21, 2025.

This, said Jamiluddin, certainly raises speculation that the KPU's decision is intended to protect Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka and former President Joko Widodo,

"The speculation became stronger because the KPU's decision coincided with the lawsuit for the validity of the Vice President Gibran's diploma. The same thing happened to Jokowi where until now his diploma is still being questioned by several elements of society," Jamiluddin told VOI, Tuesday, September 16.

With these indications, said Jamiluddin, it is difficult not to state any connection between the KPU's decision and the diploma case that Gibran and Jokowi are facing.

Moreover, according to him, of the 16 documents of the presidential and vice presidential pairs, there is evidence of graduation of diplomas, so that the public is increasingly relating the KPU's decision to the issue of Gibran and Jokowi's Diplomas.

"So, I hope it will not be excessive if some people think that the KPU's decision is aimed at protecting Gibran and Jokowi from public supervision," said Jamiluddin.

Jamiluddin said that the assumption of protecting Gibran and Jokowi arose because the KPU's decision had automatically closed public access to 16 types of presidential and vice presidential documents. This is because the 16 types of documents are classified as excluded information.

"Even though there is no solid basis for classifying the 16 documents, apart from health documents, they become excluded information as referred to in the Law on Public Information Disclosure. This is because private documents when used as presidential documents should have become public domain," said Jamiluddin.

"So, the KPU's decision to include the presidential candidate document as excluded information has confirmed the principle of openness. This impresses that the KPU has neglected the will of democracy which asks for openness in various lives of the nation and state," he concluded.

Previously, KPU chairman Mochammad Afifuddin denied that the decision could not open a diploma document which was a requirement for presidential and vice-presidential candidates to the public without the consent to protect the former President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo. According to Afifuddin, the KPU's decision was due to adjust to the Law on Public Information Disclosure.

It is known, after a 10-year rule, Jokowi stumbled upon a case of alleged fake diplomas. Jokowi's case was followed by allegations of the absence of a high school diploma for Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

"No one is protected. Because this is a test of the consequences that we have to do when someone asks our PPID. So there is information that the institution must then regulate which ones are excluded," said Afifuddin, Monday, September 15.

"Regarding this data, it is data that must be approved by the person concerned or the court's decision. Therefore, it has been regulated in the Law on Public Information Disclosure," he continued.

Afifuddin emphasized that the KPU regulations had nothing to do with the lawsuit filed against Jokowi on charges of fake diplomas.

"Nothing, this applies to the public. All arrangements, anyone's data. Because whoever later can also ask for the data from us. Now we will arrange the data documents that we have. Meanwhile, there are things that must be approved and also because of the court's decision," he said.