Indonesian wiretapping scandal exposes widening Prabowo-Jokowi rift

Indonesia arrested three senior police officers over alleged phone tapping that targeted President Prabowo Subianto and many others. The targets reportedly included politicians, journalists, civil society groups, officials and businesspeople. Prabowo’s office said intercepting the president’s communications could amount to treason. The police chief insisted the arrests were purely a law-enforcement matter.

The scandal became politically explosive because one arrested figure, Listyo Sigit Prabowo, was widely regarded as a Joko Widodo loyalist. Listyo had been Prabowo’s chief of staff and a former national police chief. Prabowo dismissed him the day after his arrest. Widodo, also known as Jokowi, had backed Prabowo’s 2024 presidential campaign, while his son Gibran became Prabowo’s vice-president.

The arrests therefore exposed worsening relations between the president and his predecessor. Political parties began discussing a parliamentary inquiry into Gibran’s eligibility. Analysts viewed that inquiry as a possible first step toward impeachment, making the wiretapping case both a criminal investigation and a major political crisis.

Wiretapping is the secret interception or monitoring of communications, such as phone calls, messages or data. It can expose private information and influence political, legal or business decisions. The article does not give a technical definition, but it describes alleged tapping of phones belonging to President Prabowo and many other people.

The alleged operation was unusually serious because it included the president’s communications. A president’s calls may contain sensitive government, security or political information. Prabowo’s office said intercepting them could amount to treason. That statement shows the suspected act was viewed as a possible threat to the state, not merely a privacy violation.

However, the article does not say that treason has been legally established. Three senior police officers were arrested, but neither the government nor investigators disclosed the motive. The police chief said the arrests were a law-enforcement matter. Any final charge or legal conclusion would depend on the investigation and judicial process.

Three senior police officers were arrested in connection with the alleged wiretapping. They included Listyo Sigit Prabowo, a former national police chief and Prabowo’s chief of staff. The arrests took place on Tuesday. Prabowo dismissed Listyo the following day, after the allegations became public.

The alleged tapping reportedly began in 2025 and affected a broad group of people. Targets included President Prabowo, other politicians, journalists, civil society organisations, government officials and businesspeople. The article does not identify the other two arrested officers by name. It also says investigators have not explained why the communications were allegedly intercepted.

Separately, Prabowo’s governing coalition controls 81 per cent of parliament. That large majority matters because lawmakers are discussing whether to launch an inquiry into Vice-President Gibran’s eligibility. Although the largest opposition party is outside the coalition, several coalition parties are also considering the inquiry. The coalition’s size could strongly shape the parliamentary process and its consequences.

A parliamentary inquiry is a formal investigation by lawmakers into alleged legal or constitutional violations by the government. Indonesia’s constitution gives parliament this power. It allows elected representatives to examine serious allegations, gather information and assess whether government conduct requires further action. The article presents the inquiry as a constitutional tool, not as an automatic removal procedure.

Here, parties are considering an inquiry into Vice-President Gibran’s eligibility. They are linking the move to the wiretapping scandal and to court rulings about his educational credentials. The Democratic Party of Struggle, the only parliamentary party outside Prabowo’s coalition, said discussions were intensifying. Three coalition parties were also considering the proposal.

The potential consequence is severe. Burhanuddin Muhtadi said the process would likely lead to Gibran’s impeachment, and some people believe the two court rulings already make a new investigation unnecessary. Still, the article does not state that impeachment has begun or that Gibran has been removed. The vice-president’s office did not comment.

Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s educational credentials are being challenged because he used a foreign senior high school qualification for his vice-presidential candidacy. Political parties cite rulings by Indonesia’s Constitutional Court and Supreme Court. According to the article, both courts found that the credential did not meet domestic legal requirements.

The courts also ruled that election officials had improperly accepted the qualification in 2024. That detail is central because eligibility depends not only on a candidate’s documents, but also on whether election authorities applied the rules correctly. The article does not provide the full wording of either ruling or explain the courts’ detailed reasoning.

The rulings have become a basis for proposed parliamentary action. Parties are discussing an inquiry into Gibran, especially after the wiretapping case increased political pressure. One analyst said some people believe another investigation is unnecessary because the courts have already ruled. Gibran remains vice-president in the article, and his office did not respond to a comment request.

The scandal could weaken political stability because it has exposed growing tension between President Prabowo and former president Joko Widodo. Their relationship was already important to the government: Widodo backed Prabowo, and Widodo’s son Gibran became vice-president. The arrests and proposed inquiry now connect a policing crisis to a dispute over the vice-president’s eligibility.

The article also links the scandal to economic pressure. Public discontent is growing over Prabowo’s costly populist policies, while investor confidence in Indonesia’s US$1.5 trillion economy is weakening. A prolonged political fight could make government priorities harder to advance, especially if parliament focuses on investigations, impeachment risks and disputes between coalition factions.

The future remains uncertain. Prabowo’s coalition controls 81 per cent of parliament, but parties within that coalition are considering an inquiry alongside the opposition. Analysts said the process could lead to Gibran’s impeachment. The article also says reconciliation between Jokowi and Prabowo appears increasingly unlikely, which could prolong political uncertainty.

In a presidential system, checks and balances prevent one office from holding unlimited power. The executive governs, courts interpret and apply the law, and parliament makes laws while overseeing government conduct. These institutions can question decisions, investigate alleged wrongdoing or review whether officials meet legal requirements. The article provides Indonesia’s specific example through court rulings and parliament’s inquiry power.

The Constitutional Court and Supreme Court ruled that Gibran’s foreign senior high school credentials did not meet domestic requirements and were improperly accepted by election officials. Parliament can separately investigate alleged legal or constitutional violations by the government. That mechanism lets lawmakers examine the issue and decide whether further constitutional action is justified.

These checks do not automatically remove an elected official. The article says parties are considering an inquiry and an analyst believes it could lead to Gibran’s impeachment. It does not describe every procedural step. The broader principle is that courts test legal eligibility, while parliament exercises political and constitutional oversight.