Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s shock resignation for health reasons has sparked calls in the Philippines for President Rodrigo Duterte, who is 10 years older and often carps about numerous ailments, to do the same.
On Friday, August 31, the 65-year-old Abe, who was Japan’s longest serving prime minister, said he was not able to fulfill his mandate with confidence. He has for years battled ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease that can cause ulcers in the lining of the colon and rectum. Visits to a Tokyo hospital in the last two weeks invited speculations over his health.
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“I would like to sincerely apologize to the people of Japan for leaving my post with one year left in my term of office, and amid the coronavirus woes, while various policies are still in the process of being implemented,” he said.
Abe’s words resonated across Asia, a region with booming youth populations but few leaders under 60. Filipinos in particular suggested parallels between Abe’s exit and Duterte, who has faced criticism for lack of leadership and visibility during the coronavirus outbreak.
Abe earned praise from Filipinos who commented on social media that his resignation was honorable, and some said their 75-year-old leader should do the same.
“Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving leader, resigns over health issues,” Florin Hilbay, former solicitor-general and failed opposition senatorial candidate, wrote on Twitter. “By doing so, he recognizes that a leader’s health is tied to the nation’s well-being. Illness affects the leader’s judgment, market confidence, long-term planning, etc.”
“A great example for others to follow,” Hilbay added, in what many assumed to be a reference to Duterte.
Duterte’s health has been a subject of recurring discussion and debate, fueled by Duterte’s own statements. In August, he said a chronic condition he suffers from called Barrett’s esophagus may eventually lead to cancer.
“The doctor said don’t eat fatty food or you’ll die. You, Duterte, stop drinking because your condition is nearing Stage 1 cancer,” he said in a pre-recorded televised address.
Aides clarified that it was old medical advice and they maintain that the president is in good health. Staunch Duterte ally Senator Bong Go, who is not a doctor, maintained that the president is healthy and not suffering from any illness.
“Who at the age of 75 doesn’t feel any pain or illness in their body?” he said in a statement, urging the public not to engage in unproductive rumor-mongering.
Aging leaders
Southeast Asian governments are largely helmed by ageing, mostly male heads of state.
In February 2020, 94-year-old Mahathir Mohamad stepped down as Malaysia’s prime minister after becoming the world’s oldest leader when he shockingly won elections in May 2018.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, 68, has survived cancer. In 2016, he fainted as he was delivering his speech on stage during a live broadcast.
Aung San Suu Kyi, who is seeking reelection in Myanmar in November, is 75 years old and has no apparent successor in her party, the National League for Democracy.
Even Abe’s potential replacements are aged between 63 to 71 years old. Abe’s right hand man, Yoshide Suga, 71, is favored to get the top job.
Singapore Management University law professor and political observer Eugene Tan said age is still a factor in politics and young people are in many cases disadvantaged.
“While we should not be essentialist about this phenomenon (as in culture explains why), the likelihood is that some societies are patriarchal and that results in age and gender being factors that could matter in politics,” Tan told VICE News.
“There may be the preference for the elders to hold public office; certainly, there are qualities that an older person brings to the table. In some parts of Asia as well as in other parts of the world, however, ageism may work against relatively young people being elected as leaders.”
‘Really Tired’
Under the Philippine constitution, the public must be regularly updated on the president’s health through bulletins certified by his doctor or the secretary of health. But that has not been the case for Duterte.
Last month, rumours of a medical visit to Singapore swirled amid his prolonged disappearance from the public eye. In 2018, it was rumored that Duterte sought medical attention at a Manila hospital after skipping a public event. His aides denied he visited the hospital, but Duterte himself confirmed he showed up at the hospital for some tests.
In 2019, Duterte skipped at least eight events for “not feeling well” and for being “indisposed.”
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Thursday, September 3 said the president is “okay”. He did not say whether the leader had undergone a recent medical check up.
In an apparent attempt to dispel health rumors, Duterte made a public appearance on Friday, August 31 when he visited the blast site of a twin bombing attack in Jolo, Sulu that left several people dead.
In Jolo, Duterte spoke with army troops stationed there to console them. Most of the casualties were soldiers. He offered flowers, prayers, and knelt and kissed the ground. But critics dismissed the appearance as mere theatrics.
Ela Atienza, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman, thinks Duterte will stay to finish his six-year term in 2022.
“I think at this point, he will likely not resign. We cannot expect him to be like Abe. He is a very proud man,” Atienza told VICE News. “Unless any illness he has can make him totally bedridden and other sectors/institutions will make the decision for him to resign.”
But even if serious pressure builds for Duterte to quit, his allies in both chambers of the legislature are the supermajority. Atienza also noted that if Duterte decides to follow Abe, he will hand power to a key opposition figure, Vice President Leni Robredo.
In the Philippines, the president and the vice president are elected separately. In recent history, vice presidents have come from the opposing parties.
“The President may also be reluctant to hand-over power in a period of a pandemic where he cannot claim substantial legacies or major accomplishments yet,” Atienza added.
But Duterte’s own words may be the best clues to what he does.
“I will not be President for so long…it’s just in the wings and my end will come,” he said in a televised address in his third year in office last year. “As a matter of fact, I’m tired, really tired.”
