Moeldoko: Not Luhut Or Airlangga, The Supreme Commander For COVID-19 Handling Is President Jokowi!

JAKARTA - Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko emphasized that the highest commander in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic in the country is President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

This follows the appointment of Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Menko Marves) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan and Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto as Coordinator for the Implementation of Emergency Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM).

"Actually, from the beginning the highest commander in handling COVID-19 was the president," Moeldoko told reporters, Saturday, July 10.

He said that since the beginning of the pandemic in the country in March 2020, Jokowi has never slack off in carrying out supervision or control. "That's always done by the president," he said.

The former TNI Commander then revealed that Jokowi could hold three limited meetings with his staff to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic and its handling. Moeldoko said, in these meetings, Jokowi always checks what his subordinates have done.

Furthermore, he also said that Jokowi did not want to let go of handling the pandemic by appointing Luhut and Airlangga. According to him, this appointment was made to increase the effectiveness of handling COVID-19 in the country.

"So it is very wrong that it is as if the president is not controlling COVID-19," he said.

Moeldoko also ensured that Jokowi's ministries, institutions and regional heads were firm. "All the resources owned by the government have been mobilized for the benefit of saving the people from COVID-19 under the control of the president. There is nothing else," he said.

"So people should not have any doubts about this condition," he added.

Previously reported, President Jokowi appointed Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan as the Coordinator of Emergency PPKM specifically for Java and Bali Island, where the transmission rate of COVID-19 was highest.

Meanwhile, Airlangga was appointed to be the Coordinator of Emergency and Micro PPKM outside Java-Bali. In addition, he also serves as Chairman of the Committee for Handling COVID-19 and National Economic Recovery (KPCPEN).