This young man, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, is even younger than the country’s first State leadership duet of Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta, who became the country’s first president and vice president at the age of 44 and 43 respectively.

Gibran, who is also the oldest son of the outgoing 7^thpresident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, is also much younger than his partner in the February 14, 2024 presidential election − the newly inaugurated President Prabowo Subianto − who turned 73 only three days ago.

Despite his young age, Gibran had a significant share in helping pump up the election achievement of Prabowo as the Prabowo-Gibran pair won the presidential race after securing 58.6 percent of the votes in a single round, defeating rival pairs of Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar who won 24.9 percent, and Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD pair with 16.5 percent.

Gibran’s rise to vice-presidency was in fact beyond expectation or at least not yet  as he was initially preparing himself to run for governorship post either in Jakarta or Central Java, considered as a stepping stone for ones aiming for presidency. 

Jakarta is the magnet for anyone aiming high in politics as the capital city is a miniature of the country. It is a bustling metropolis with a population exceeding 10 million. It serves as the nation’s financial, commercial, and entertainment hub, anchoring the largest economy in Southeast Asia. A diverse melting pot of cultures, ethnicities, and religions, the city’s economic opportunities have drawn migrants from across the Indonesian archipelago.

Being an elected governor of Jakarta would therefore mean one has the capacity and capability to contest the political race at the higher level, i.e. presidential election. Jokowi himself ran for and got elected as Governor of Jakarta in 2012 before running for presidency two years later, which he also won twice.

Meanwhile, Central Java is the provincial hometown of Gibran, and most importantly of his father Jokowi, who has strong supporter base in the province which is also the stronghold of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) that running for and getting elected as Governor of Central Java is also a sufficient political capital for Gibran to contest the presidential election.

However, the opportunity has apparently come earlier than planned as he did not have to go through the second level of litmus test − contesting a gubernatorial election − but went straight to the next level contesting the State leadership race as a vice presidential candidate. It was Prabowo who handpicked him and then asked for Jokowi’s approval to bring Gibran into his camp as his running mate to contest the February 14 election.

Being the eldest son of the highly popular Jokowi, Gibran was a determinant factor in helping jack up Prabowo's election achievement. And Prabowo has to thank him for that.

Now Gibran is the definite Vice President of Indonesia for the 2024-2029 period following his inauguration today. He has to move away from being a mere vote getter for Prabowo. 

Gibran has to prove that the “luxury” he got at the last minute in order to be able to contest the February 14 presidential election through the controversial October 16, 2023 ruling of the Constitutional Court that gave him the legitimacy to join the race was indeed a mere ethical norm problem as he is indeed capable and has the capacity to be at the country’s co-pilot seat as vice president.

He should prove to all his critics who had doubted his limited experience in public office − his only profile as a public official was his term as Mayor of Surakarta for the 2021-2024 period − was baseless as he could catch up with the pace of President Prabowo in executing all the government programs that had been set since the beginning of their partnership.

Gibran also has to prove he is different for many reasons that he will be more than a “spare tire”, a description that Indonesians like to give to all vice presidents in the past for their role as nothing more than a reserve to support the president.

On the other hand, Prabowo has to give enough room for Gibran to explore his capacity. Bringing Gibran along with him to carry out State duties and manage the country with all of its problems will benefit both leaders not only in proving that they are a perfect pair, but also serve as sufficient capital for both of them in their respective future political endeavors.