Edited video does not show Indonesia's VP-elect 'stepping down'

Published on October 9, 2024 at 06:58
3 min read
By AFP Indonesia

Edited footage of Indonesia's vice president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka has circulated in posts that falsely claimed he announced he would step down from the position before his official inauguration. The clip -- viewed thousands of times -- was created using footage from when Gibran, the eldest son of outgoing President Joko Widodo, resigned as the mayor of a regency in Central Java province.

"Gibran Rakabuming Raka shocks Indonesia, he suddenly steps down as the vice-president elect," read Indonesian-language text in a video uploaded on SnackVideo on October 2, 2024.

"It could be seen from his speech that Gibran is announcing his resignation as the vice-president elect. It's still not clear what the reason is behind his decision."

The 27-second clip -- viewed more than 1,400 times -- shows Gibran speaking on a podium. The 37-year-old politician and businessman is the eldest son of outgoing President Joko Widodo, more popularly known as Jokowi.

"Elected vice president in the 2024 general election. [I] the undersigned, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, hereby resign," he appears to say in the footage.

Screenshot of the false post from Snack Video, taken on October 7, 2024

The video was also shared on Facebook, YouTube and TikTok with a similar false claim weeks ahead of the planned inauguration of Gibran and president-elect Prabowo Subianto on October 20 in the capital Jakarta (archived link).

Local media reported in September that Gibran allegedly posted messages criticising Prabowo between 2014 and 2019 under a pseudonym (archived link).

The reports surfaced as Jokowi prepared to leave office after a decade in power. He has faced criticism for alleged attempts to create his own political dynasty and retain influence after candidate eligibility rules were changed by his brother-in-law and then-chief justice, allowing Gibran to run for the vice presidency (archived link).

Some people appeared to believe the claim in the false posts, with one user responding: "It's good that he steps down, he should know his place."

However, the video has been edited and as of October 9, there have been no official reports that Gibran has announced he will step down as vice president.

Misrepresented footage

A reverse image search found that the clip in the circulated posts had been edited from footage published on July 17, 2024 when Gibran resigned as the Mayor of Solo, also known as Surakarta, a regency in Central Java Province.

Local news outlet Tribun Medan TV published the genuine footage of the event on July 17 alongside the title "It's official! Gibran is resigning as Solo Mayor" (archived link).

"Gibran Rakabuming Raka officially resigned as Mayor of Surakarta at the Plenary Meeting of the Surakarta Regional Legislative Councils, 17 July 2024," the video's caption read.

His mayoral term was originally supposed to last until 2026 (archived link).

Below is a screenshot comparison between the video in the false post (left) and the original footage from Tribun Medan TV (right):

Screenshot comparison between video in the false post (left) and genuine footage from Tribun Medan TV (right)

A longer version of the video was published by another Indonesian news outlet, Kompas TV, on its YouTube Channel (archived link).

Gibran's reference to his mayoral role was cut from the footage in the false posts.

"The undersigned, name, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, position, mayor of Surakarta, hereby resign as mayor of Surakarta for the 2021-2026 term, following the appointment as the vice president-elect in the 2024 general election," Gibran says in the Kompas TV video.

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