Vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka stole the show during the election debate on Friday as he squared off against experienced rivals who, according to analysts, had their hands tied by their connections to the current administration, led by Gibran’s father President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

Since the announcement of his vice presidential bid to run alongside presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto in October, Gibran has been facing scrutiny over his inexperience in public office as well as accusations of being part of Jokowi’s efforts to establish a political dynasty once he finishes his term next year.

Gibran was also criticized for declining to appear at public debates and discussions held by universities and other organizations.

But some analysts have praised Gibran’s performance as he has managed to stand his ground while throwing jabs at his seasoned rivals, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD and deputy House of Representatives speaker Muhaimin Iskandar.

“Gibran’s performance was surprising as he was hardly on the defensive throughout the debate […] and appeared confident compared to the others in conveying his vision and mission related to the economy,” said Kennedy Muslim of Indikator Politik Indonesia.

Gibran firmly defended his father’s economic policies, including the Nusantara capital city (IKN) project in East Kalimantan. He described the project as a “symbol of equality” that would create jobs and distribute economic growth more evenly to regions outside Java.

However, the project has struggled to secure the foreign investment that was meant to cover most of its funding and has only attracted local investors; something that Mahfud and Muhaimin both grilled the Surakarta mayor about on the debate stage.

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