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Gibran defends his father’s policies
Analysts say President’s son was "assertive" despite making "incorrect answers".
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Vice presidential candidates Muhaimin Iskandar (left), Gibran Rakabuming Raka (center) and Mohammad Mahfud Mahmodin attend a televised debate at the Jakarta Convention Center in Jakarta, December 22, 2023. (Reuters/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana)
In a tamer second debate on Friday that was less critical of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s economic policies, vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka was a staunch advocate for his father’s programs.
The 36-year-old Gibran, who has been accused of being inexperienced and attaining his nomination through nepotism, said he had trained “diligently” for the past three days for the debate and elaborated Jokowi’s key programs, from downstreaming to the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) project in East Kalimantan, with apparent self-assurance.
“IKN not only serves as [a city for] government buildings but also as a symbol of equitable development in Indonesia. It’s a symbol of transformation in Indonesia,” he said during the debate.
Gibran, who is the running mate of presidential frontrunner Prabowo Subianto, echoed his father’s talking points that Nusantara’s construction would open new economic growth in Kalimantan, away from the country’s economic core of Java.
His opponents have criticized the megaproject, which is estimated to cost some Rp 466 trillion (US$30.1 billion).
Read also: Infrastructure, economic equality may become focal points in the VP debate
“I find it funny that [you said] that the allocation for the new capital city project was only 20 percent of the state budget. From what we read, not one investor has chipped in. You mention one or two that have invested in the project? With hundreds of thousands of hectares of land dominated by certain businessmen,” vice presidential candidate Mahfud MD, a law professor, said to Gibran, who is 30 years his junior.
