Presidential/VP candidates pass medical exam, but doctor says at least one of them ‘not completely healthy’

Next April’s presidential election contenders, incumbent Joko Widodo and Gerindra chairman Prabowo Subianto, as well as their respective running mates, Ma’ruf Amin and Sandiaga Uno, were all given the medical green light yesterday to undertake five years of leading the country should they win.

However, without naming any names, the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI), which conducted the thorough medical examinations on each of the candidates, said that at least one of them is suffering from an unspecified medical condition, although is still within IDI’s parameters for what constitutes a tolerable health risk for the president or vice president.

“If we found a certain medical condition but it’s still at a lower grade and can be corrected, then that means the person still fulfills the medical requirements. That means that person can physically and independently carry out their job for the next five years,” IDI Chairman Ilham Oetama Marsis told reporters yesterday, as quoted by CNN Indonesia.

The General Election Commission (KPU) is now in possession of the detailed results of both candidate pairs’ medical exams, but they say they’re not going to make them public unless explicitly permitted by the candidates.

Ma’ruf Amin’s age has been a widely discussed topic ever since he was announced as Jokowi’s running mate last week. The 75-year-old Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) Chairman will be one year older by the election day and, if his ticket prevails, he would be the oldest vice president ever at the conclusion of his term, when he will be 81. However, IDI and KPU have both declared Ma’ruf to be physically fit for the vice presidency.

Prabowo seemingly passed his medical exam with flying colors as did Sandiaga — who is still 49 and is an avid runner. Prabowo, however, wasn’t shy to reveal to the public that he could stand to lose a few pounds.

“Earlier the doctor asked my height, then my weight, and commented that they’re not proportional. ‘So Pak Prabowo has to lose 5 kilograms,’ [the doctor said]. Wow, that’s heavy,” Prabowo joked following his exam on Monday.

The candidates still have to go through some administrative requirements such as filing their wealth and debt statements before the KPU officially recognizes them as presidential and vice presidential nominees on September 20. The election itself will take place on April 17, 2019.