Sri Mulyani Called Vaccines Not The End Of The Challenge Against COVID-19, So What Is More?

JAKARTA - Minister of Finance (Menkeu) Sri Mulyani Indrawati said that COVID-19 is a problem for all countries that cannot be resolved by just one country or one region. For that, international collaboration is needed to fight it.

"All countries must also be at the same table to overcome this problem. That is why collaboration at the international level will be very important," said Sri Mulyani, quoted from the Ministry of Finance's website, Friday, October 16.

Regarding funding from the IMF for poor and developing countries, the Minister said that they have a mechanism to ensure that their debts will be borrowed properly. The Minister of Finance sees the importance of the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) in response to calls from the World Bank and the IMF to provide suspension of debt payments to poor countries to help them anticipate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I will not be skeptical, at the same time many of these countries really need support so that the DSSI which is now being discussed at the G20 will be an initiative, where the international community must see the debt burden especially in poor countries so that they are not only able to survive this crisis but also recovering to their growth path, "said the minister.

Then, he continued, the presence of the COVID-19 vaccine would not be the end of the challenges ahead. For example, the Minister of Finance said that the distribution and administration of vaccines to 267 million Indonesians was a challenge after the COVID-19 vaccine was discovered.

"We are currently working with at least four companies around the world to get the first batch of vaccines. So, I am more optimistic from the vaccine side but of course this will not be the end of the challenge because we are also vaccinating. So there is still a lot of work to be done in beyond the financing side, "he explained.

Furthermore, the Minister of Finance hopes that other countries will take the same steps regarding climate change policies. According to him, the economy can continue to grow without carbon emissions with fiscal stimulus or incentives for greener and renewable projects.

"This is all what Indonesia is doing. So, we are using this crisis so that we can transform the economy. I hope other countries will also take the same steps," the minister ordered.