Jokowi's Government Considered Not Serious In Handling COVID-19

JAKARTA - The government of President Joko Widodo continues to receive the spotlight, because it is considered not serious in dealing with the spread of COVID-19 in Indonesia. According to a study written by the Lokataru Foundation, President Joko Widodo and his ministers are considered not serious in communicating the prevention and mitigation of the virus to the public.

The study compiled by the Lokataru Foundation in March noted that instead of opening information widely and carrying out intensive outreach, the government has instead made comments and made uncertain policies.

"What happens is a series of ridiculousness which can be seen in the comments and policies taken by the government. The implications are no joke. The government has arguably failed to fulfill the citizens' right to health as mandated by Article 28H of the 1945 Constitution," wrote Lokataru in a study made by Fian Alaydrus. as we quoted on Sunday, March 15th

This study also notes that there have been many counterproductive policies and comments from the government regarding the spread of the virus from the city of Wuhan, China.

There were 10 unpleasant comments that Lokataru considered did not understand the current situation. One of them, when President Jokowi gave discounts on hotels and aircraft since March 1, 2020, for the recovery of the tourism sector.

Then Vice President Ma'ruf Amin's comments when mentioning that the prayer qunut ulama played a role in protecting Indonesia from the COVID-19 virus. Then when Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto said COVID-19 was not found in Indonesia thanks to prayers and he denied research from Harvard that predicted if the virus had entered Indonesia.

"These comments are issued at critical times when the time spent issuing this response should have been allocated to mitigating the coronavirus as early as possible," they said.

The Lokataru Foundation even said that the various responses of the Indonesian government in facing the threat of COVID-19 are very different from those of neighboring countries, namely Singapore. In that country, President Halimah Yacob even volunteered to cut his wages for medical or health workers and instructed his line ministries to do so as well.

Apart from Singapore, this institution also noted that Vietnam had successfully cured all patients who contracted the virus. To do this, the Vietnamese government requires all residents to stay in isolation for 20 days and health workers must follow existing health protocols.

Finally, Lokataru also compared it with South Korea. In this country, especially in Gouyang City, the inspection procedure is carried out quickly by providing a drive-thru. So that those who want to be checked can do it immediately without having to get out of the car.

So that, reflecting on this, this institution then reminded President Jokowi's government to immediately maximize prevention and mitigation efforts. In addition, they also hope that there will be information disclosure regarding the handling of the virus.

Not only about information disclosure, the Ministry of Health is expected to be able to immediately prepare health facilities and medical devices in all regions in Indonesia. This is because Lokataru noted that many hospitals had minimal medical equipment.

"There was also an incident of the RSPI Sulianti Saroso referral hospital, Jakarta, having to refer a patient suspected of having symptoms of the corona virus to another hospital because the hospital's isolation room was full. The limited isolation room in a hospital would certainly obstruct the rights to health of residents and threaten lives. the citizens themselves. "

Although considered slow in making decisions regarding the spread of COVID-19 in Indonesia, in his speech, President Joko Widodo said that the Indonesian central government continued to communicate with WHO and implemented its protocols in full. In addition, according to Jokowi, the government continues to consult with public health experts to deal with this virus.

In addition, the former Governor of DKI Jakarta stated that he had formed a Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19 and was chaired by the Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Doni Monardo.

"This task force works effectively by synergizing national forces both at the central and regional levels, involving ASN, TNI and Polri, and involving support from the private sector, social institutions and universities," Jokowi said at the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java, Sunday. , March 15th.

Haven't done a lockdown yet

Although some of the public have urged the implementation of a lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus, however, President Jokowi has not agreed to take this option. Because, in his official statement, Jokowi only said that there were indeed countries that had taken the lockdown option and some did not.

"Several countries have implemented a lockdown with all the consequences that come with it. But there are also countries that have not implemented a lockdown but have taken strict measures and policies," he said.

As an alternative to the lockdown, Jokowi gave permission for each regional leader to set the level of emergency for the spread of COVID-19. The local government, said Jokowi, is allowed to determine emergency alert status or emergency response for non-natural disasters after coordinating with BNPB.

Local governments are also asked to improve services for COVID-19 infection testing and treatment to the maximum by utilizing the capacity of regional hospitals and collaborating with private hospitals and research and higher education institutions recommended by the Ministry of Health.

They are also asked to make policies regarding the learning process from home for students and students, make policies so that as state civil servants (ASN) can work at home and take advantage of online interactions so that service to the community remains prime, and postpone activities that involve many participants.

For the availability of staples, Jokowi emphasized that the government has ensured that basic necessities are currently sufficient and sufficient to meet the needs of the community.

Meanwhile for the public, Jokowi reminded them not to panic and remain productive while remaining vigilant about the spread of COVID-19. However, it still limits its movement so that the virus does not spread.

"With this condition, it is time for us to work from home, learn from home, worship from home. This is the time to work together, help each other and unite, mutual cooperation. We want this to become a community movement so that the COVID-19 problem can be handled properly. maximum."