Nothing to worry about: Megawati Soekarnoputri and her running mate Prabowo greet their supporters, following a medical checkup at the Gatot Subroto Hospital, Jakarta on Sunday. Antara/Saptono
Yusuf Kalla and Wiranto smiled cheerfully, while Megawati Soekarnoputri and Prabowo Subianto looked calm on their way to the health screening at the Gatot Subroto General Hospital on Sunday.
After the six-hour health screening, 67-year-old Kalla of the Golkar Party and 62-year-old Wiranto of the People's Consience Party (Hanura), came out the hospital gate and told waiting newsman that they had passed their health tests.
"The faster the better," said Kalla.
Wearing blue hospital kimonos, Megawati and Prabowo raised their hands while smiling after the test. The screening test, is compulsory for all presidential and vice presidential candidates, to ensure their mental and physical fitness, under the Amended 1945 Constitution.
Megawati and Prabowo teamed up to face the incumbent President and the Jusuf Kalla-Wiranto pair in July 8 race, after the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) and Great Indonesian Movement Party (Gerindra) finally reached a coalition agreement on Friday.
Somewhat differently from male candidates, Megawati underwent a ten-hour test with an additional check prior to which she was not to have sex for ten days.
Prabowo, 57, the youngest among the candidates, was looking fresh although he has long since left his military service with the Army's Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad).
Fachmi said the medical team, consisting of 60 doctors, would hold a plenary meeting to discuss the medical check-up results. “Tommorrow we will send the complete results to the KPU,” he said.
Fachmi Idris, chairman of the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) with which the hospital cooperated to conduct the test, said that the doctors were not allowed to make the results of the tests public.
General Elections Commission (KPU) member Andi Nurpati said that the commission would verify the test results right away after they received them from the doctors.
"We will send the verification to the political parties.
“Candidates that don’t fulfill the administrative requirements will be given a chance to complete them. But if they fail at the medical test, no other chance will be given,” she added.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his running mate Boediono were set to do the health screening at the same hospital on Monday.
Yudhoyono chose the central bank governor as his running mate to seek reelection for the next five years with the support of his Democratic Party-led coalition of 23 political parties, including many that did not pass the parliamentary threshold, and four that did. (bbs)
