Jakarta: Vice President Ma’ruf Amin advised his potential successors on Thursday, emphasizing the importance of adhering to the prescribed boundaries of the vice-presidential role, without overstepping the responsibilities as the second-in-command to the president.

Ma’ruf is set to retire alongside President Joko Widodo in October next year and he has dismissed any intention to seek reelection.

The role of the vice president primarily involves ceremonial duties. However, in the absence of the president due to death, resignation, incapacity, or impeachment by the parliament, the vice president assumes leadership of the country.

"A vice president should remain within their role and refrain from acting beyond their assigned responsibilities to avoid potential issues," Ma’ruf said during a visit to Semarang, the capital of Central Java.

While rejecting the notion of the vice president merely being a "spare tire," Ma’ruf said that the role often involves leading government programs initiated by the president's office.

"As part of leading the campaign against stunting, I presided over coordination meetings, conducted field inspections to monitor progress, and identified necessary government interventions to ensure the program's success," he said. “I hope my successor will do better than me in executing duties as the vice president.”

There are currently three candidates vying for Ma’ruf’s job: Muhaimin Iskandar, Mohammad Mahfud, and Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who is the president's son.

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