What was scheduled as a formal audience with regional lawmakers in Yogyakarta turned into a symbolic protest on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, when activists from the Forum Kebangsaan Yogyakarta removed a portrait of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka from the wall of the DPRD DIY’s Banggar chamber, detikNews reported. The group, which included former Yogyakarta deputy mayor Syukri Fadholi and forum patron Muhammad Chirzin, had come to the council office to voice public concerns about the state of the nation, but the demonstration quickly centered on Gibran himself.
Chirzin told reporters the act carried a blunt message. “The removal of Gibran’s photo in the DPRD DIY meeting room carries the message of demanding Gibran’s removal at any price,” he said, according to detikNews. One protester shouted “Bismillahirohmanirohim, let’s take down the idol!” as the portrait came down, detikNews reported, and the crowd then posed for photos with the frame on the floor, telling each other not to damage it. CNN Indonesia confirmed the portrait was re-hung after the audience concluded.
Imam Taufik, deputy chair of the DPRD DIY, denied that any council member initiated the removal. “The removal of Gibran’s photo was purely spontaneous pressure from the participants or guests present, not an initiative from council members,” he said, according to sorot.co. He added that the council would leave any decision on the matter to central-level institutions, including the MPR and the Constitutional Court.
Supreme Court Annuls Gibran’s Diploma Equivalency Letter
The Yogyakarta protest came days after the Supreme Court (Mahkamah Agung) delivered a ruling that intensified scrutiny of Gibran’s eligibility. In case No. 742 K/TUN/2026, decided Friday, October 30, 2026, the court granted the cassation appeal filed by H.M. Subhan against the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, ruling that the letter equating Gibran’s high school diploma was invalid and null and void, and ordering it destroyed, kumparan reported. The case had first been registered at the Jakarta State Administrative Court on February 19, 2026, under case number 62/G/2026/PTUN.JKT.
The ruling revives a controversy that has trailed Gibran since the 2024 presidential election, when Constitutional Court ruling No. 90/PUU-XXI/2023 changed the minimum age requirement and opened the path for him to run as Prabowo Subianto’s vice presidential candidate.
Gen Z Demands and Calls for Impeachment Reach Parliament
Eka Widodo, a PKB faction member of the DPR for Central Java IX, said young people he met during a recess demanded Gibran’s impeachment. “The Gen Z kids said they want Gibran impeached,” Widodo, known as Edo, said in a written statement quoted by Aktual.com on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. He said the youths were disappointed over the nomination process, from the age-rule change to the diploma equivalency dispute, and questioned the realization of the promised 19 million jobs.
NasDem Urges Officials to Read the Signs
NasDem Secretary General Hermawi Taslim urged decision-makers to be perceptive about the symbolic act in Yogyakarta. “Decision-makers in this republic must be more perceptive in reading the signs of the times and translating the people’s aspirations over the developing political situation,” he told reporters on Friday, November 6, 2026, detikNews reported. At the same time, he asked those voicing aspirations to keep conditions conducive, warning that ordinary citizens should not become victims of an unstable situation.
Questions Still Open After the Photo Came Down
Forum Kebangsaan Yogyakarta patron Muhammad Chirzin said, per detikNews, that the act symbolized a demand for Gibran’s removal “at any price,” while DPRD DIY deputy chair Imam Taufik told sorot.co it was a spontaneous act by audience participants, not council members.
In case No. 742 K/TUN/2026 on October 30, 2026, the court annulled the letter equating Gibran’s SMA diploma and ordered it destroyed, kumparan reported.
No institution has yet answered whether the Supreme Court ruling changes Gibran’s standing. The DPRD DIY has said it will defer to central-level processes, and the DPR and MPR have not announced any action on the hak angket proposal.