It's Time For Officials To Move, Not Just Demanding During The COVID-19 Pandemic And Emergency PPKM, Cut Salaries If Needed

Deputy Chairman of Commission II DPR RI Junimart Girsang. (Junimart Girsang Documentation)

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission II of the DPR RI, Junimart Girsang, invited all state officials, members of the legislature, and regional heads to set aside 50 percent of their salaries to help people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and Emergency PPKM to implement Pancasila values.

"Let's fulfill the values of Pancasila and the Red and White Flag during this pandemic. We must realize it in the form of empathy for the same fate," said Junimart in a statement in Jakarta, Sunday, July 18.

According to him, one of the solutions is to help people who are confirmed positive for COVID-19 who are self-isolating (isoman) and are economically affected to meet their daily needs due to the emergency PPKM policy.

During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Emergency PPKM, insulation was carried out at many points. (Intermediate Photo)

He said that the 50 percent allowance for the salary should be carried out for two months, starting from July to August 2021.

"For that, representatives of the people, ministers, directors general, and regional heads, let's set aside and take 50 percent of our salaries for 2 months starting from July-August 2021 to help the community," he said.

Junimart said that technically the implementation of setting aside 50 percent of the salary can be arranged from the respective general secretariats, while regional heads can manage technically themselves.

He emphasized that as a child of the nation, we should not only demand the government's responsibility to face and overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. "This is our shared responsibility, especially the responsibility of the people's representatives from the central to the regional levels because the people's representatives are the personification of the people," he said as reported by Antara.

The PDI-P politician assesses that currently there are two basic problems that must be addressed regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. First, helping to overcome the poor and currently obliged to undergo isoman.

Second, according to him, helping people affected by emergency PPKM whose economic resilience is increasingly limited by mobility restrictions.

We are waiting to see if the actions initiated by Junimart Girsang will be realized to help the country's situation which is being hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Emergency PPKM period. I hope to get a response from many parties.