Crowd At Tanah Abang Market, PKS Party Politician Blames Sri Mulyani Who Asked People To Shop

Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati. (Photo: Doc. Ministry of Finance)

JAKARTA - PKS Party politician Mardani Ali Sera quipped Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati regarding the crowd that occurred at Tanah Abang Market last weekend. According to him, the crowd that occurred at Tanah Abang Market was inseparable from Sri Mulyani's appeal for people to spend money to revive the economy.

Tanah Abang Market visitors exploded last weekend. Even the Governor of DKI Jakarta Anies Baswedan said that visitors to the largest textile market in Southeast Asia reached 100.000 people on Saturday, May 1.

"Excessive and sad. Too skeptical and simple. The direction should be productive, not consumptive. The Minister of Finance should inspire spending quality. Direct the public to be productive and innovative, not just buying clothes", said Mardani Ali Sera on his personal Twitter account, quoted by VOI, Monday, May 3rd.

As previously reported, Sri Mulyani encouraged people to spend money, in this case especially the holiday allowance (THR), in order to spur the revival of the Indonesian economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The former Managing Director of the World Bank believes that the public must participate in economic recovery by shopping at shopping centers while still applying health protocols.

However, Sri Mulyani also encouraged people to shop online. At least this is reflected in the National Online Shopping Day (Harbolnas) policy in which the government provides a postage subsidy of IDR 500 billion.

"Consumption activity continues, investment is starting to grow, and this will all be a recipe for us to recover the economy without causing an increase in the number of COVID-19", he said.

It's a shame

An epidemiologist from Australia's Griffith University, Dicky Budiman regretted the crowd at Tanah Abang Market, Central Jakarta. He said that the public should remain vigilant about the transmission of COVID-19.

He even said that people crammed there could not only get Eid clothes but also be exposed to the COVID-19 virus. What's more, in a viral video, the community is in one area of the room and disobeying health protocols.

"Yes, you can buy Eid clothes, also the COVID-19 virus that you can take home", said Dicky during a conversation with VOI, Sunday, May 2.

This epidemiologist asks the public not to underestimate the COVID-19 pandemic. This is because various research results show that people who are asymptomatic when exposed to this virus tend to have health problems and can reduce their quality of life in the future.

"I would like to remind you that once again, recent research has shown that in people without symptoms, the health problems are getting bigger, especially in addition to the heart, para, and blood vessels. This can be prolonged and has the potential to reduce the quality of life", said Dicky.

"So even though we haven't felt it yet, it can happen and this is what makes COVID-19 feared in developed countries", he added.

Furthermore, Dicky highlighted the role of the government in preventing this from happening. According to him, if a market or shopping center is to be opened so that economic activity can continue, the rules must be made in such a way.

"The market is indeed a gathering place. So if you want to open it, you have to be consistent with the protocol, the rules. If all the rules are not obeyed, implemented, yes, no matter how good, we will end up worsening the pandemic situation", he said.