By resigning from the posts, he explained, Setya could prove that he really was ill.

“We want Pak Setya to accept wholeheartedly [our suggestion] that he should no longer serve either as Golkar Party chairman or House speaker.  This is the most effective tool to prove that Pak Setya really is unwell,” Doli said as quoted by kompas.com in Jakarta on Saturday. 

He was speaking in response to a picture that has gone viral on the internet, which appeared to show Setya lying in a hospital bed.

(Read also: Setya cleared as suspect after winning pretrial motion against KPK)

In the picture, Setya is seen being monitored by various items of medical equipment. Instead of arousing public sympathy, however, the picture has triggered  derision among netizens with many humorous memes later being  uploaded to social media.

Doli said Setya should take a lesson from the incident. “Resignation from his positions at the Golkar Party and the House is the only way to make the public ‘believe’ that he is really sick,” he said.

Doli acknowledged that he had received information that Setya’s health condition was getting worse. The politician, he said, suffered from at least eight medical conditions, including vertigo, high blood sugar levels, hardening of heart arteries, spots on the brain, kidney problems and sinusitis.

Even though South Jakarta District Court has annulled his suspect status in the high-profile e-id graft case, Doli said, it would be better for Setya to resign from his positions. (ebf)

Popular

Volcano erupts in North Sulawesi, hundreds evacuated

Dubai roads, airport reel from floods after record rains

Ramadan boosts consumer confidence, retail sales