OPINI, thekabarnews.com—Let’s keep following the Constitutional Court (MK) hearing. The public is eagerly awaiting the decision—much like tonight’s Indonesia–Singapore match. What will the final score be? Speculation is everywhere. So, sit back and listen to the story while sipping your Koptagul [a cup of sugarless coffee], dude!

The wildest question making the rounds is this: “Could the MK hearing on Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s educational qualifications be merely a formality?” Has an alternative scenario already been prepared behind the scenes? The question is increasingly dominating conversations in coffee shops.

Put down your Koptagul for a moment. This is speculation, not fact. There is no evidence that anyone has already been chosen to replace Gibran. But Indonesian politics has one peculiar feature: The quieter the center of power becomes, the more fertile coffee-shop conspiracy theories grow.

Consider the central figure. Gibran, the subject of the petition, has said little so far. He has offered no lengthy clarification, held no press conference and delivered no personal defense. Just silence. Not a word from him.

His father, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, instead appeared in Solo and recounted his son’s educational history: SD Negeri 16 Surakarta, SMP Negeri 1 Surakarta, Orchid Park Secondary School, UTS Insearch and the Management Development Institute of Singapore.

Then came the memorable line: “After studying abroad, do you still have to obtain a high-school equivalency certificate?”

If someone turned this story into a film, its title might be Paket C: Revenge of the Diploma.

The Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) secretary general and the forestry minister, Raja Juli Antoni, was more direct. He described the petition as a “barbaric political maneuver.” He even joked that the attacks might eventually extend from Kaesang Pangarep to Jan Ethes. Jan Ethes—seriously, dude!

Once the president’s grandchild enters the conversation, we are no longer talking about a political dynasty. We are looking at a family political franchise.

Yet the silence remains the most intriguing part.

Gerindra is silent. Golkar is silent. The National Mandate Party (PAN) is silent. The Democratic Party (Democrat) is silent. Gibran’s political allies have largely remained quiet.

Of course, silence does not prove the existence of a secret agreement. It may reflect caution, a deliberate communication strategy or a decision to leave the matter to the legal process. But in the coffee-shop republic, people easily interpret such silence as “Perhaps insiders already know how this will end.”

Meanwhile, the Militan Gibran 08 Nusantara group appeared before the MK as a related party. Its representatives filed preliminary objections and prepared witnesses with such enthusiasm that MK Chief Justice Suhartoyo reportedly had to remind them: “Don’t be too enthusiastic.”

Dude, is this a constitutional hearing or a football final?

While the central figure remains silent, his volunteers have moved to the front line. Did Gibran instruct them to do so, or did they act on their own initiative? There is not enough evidence to answer that question.

Then comes the wildest element: the replacement theory.

The petition arrived almost two years after the presidential election, well beyond the deadline for an election-result dispute.

The General Elections Commission argued that the case more closely resembled an attempt to remove a vice president, a process involving the House of Representatives (DPR) and the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR).

The MK judges nevertheless continued examining the case. They requested the minutes related to the relevant KPU regulation and even cited verses from the Quran. However, the unusual structure and timing of the petition mean that procedural questions could play a decisive role.

If the court rejects the petition, the status quo will remain. If it grants the requested relief and Gibran ultimately leaves office, the Constitution provides a process under which the MPR elects a new vice president from two candidates nominated by the president.

This is where conspiracy theories begin putting on suits.

Has anyone already prepared a replacement? There is no evidence of that. Could political actors be considering potential candidates? Possibly—but no publicly available evidence confirms it.

Teddy Indra Wijaya’s name has begun circulating. More amusingly, some people have also mentioned “Mama Ghufron.” Others speculate about an unnamed figure considered politically safer. Who might that be? Perhaps the chair of the Koptagul Party, oops.

For now, all of this remains speculation. What we can say is that Gibran’s silence, the political parties’ restraint, the volunteers’ actions and the MK proceedings have sent the public imagination into overdrive.

So, is the hearing merely a formality? We cannot draw that conclusion yet. Has anyone already selected Gibran’s replacement? There is no evidence to support that claim.

But as long as reliable information from the center of power remains scarce, theories will continue to flourish.

For now, we can only sit in the warkop [coffee shop], sip our Koptagul and ask, “Dude, is this an MK hearing—or a comedy playing out in the land of the Free Meals (MBG) program?”

In high-level politics, the public does not always focus on what politicians say. Sometimes, what attracts the most attention is what they deliberately leave unsaid.

By: Rosadi Jamani

……….

Do you have an opinion on the issues that are happening right now? If you would like to submit your article by email to thekabarnews@gmail.com,