Faisal Basri Criticizes The Work From Bali Program Launched By Luhut And Sandiaga Uno: Poor People There, We Bring The Virus

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan. (Photo: Doc. Kemenko Marves)

JAKARTA - The government through the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy is running the Work from Bali or Work from Bali (WFB) Program. The goal is to get Bali's economy moving again. However, this program received criticism from Senior Economist Faisal Basri. He was against the program.

Faisal said the work from Bali program launched by the government would increase people's mobility in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which at present has not even been resolved.

"Please also don't work from Bali, Lombok, Lake Toba, now the concept is mobility. So work from home. I feel sorry for the Balinese, the tourist centers because humans have brought the virus," he said in a virtual discussion, Sunday, June 20.

The WFB plan was initiated by the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment since last May. The seven institutions under the ministry, led by Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, will send their civil servants or PNS to work from Bali under the pretext of helping the economy of the Island of the Gods, which collapsed due to the pandemic.

Previously, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy had initiated the WFB in early 2021. Currently, the ministry under the leadership of Sandiaga Uno continues to try to invite various sectors to implement the same thing.

Faisal said instead of inviting people to work from tourist destinations, the government must take steps to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic with large-scale restrictions.

Furthermore, Faisal said large-scale restrictions could be carried out for two weeks so that the increasing wave of outbreaks due to the emergence of new variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 could be suppressed.

"So let's be bitter for 2 weeks, the government looks for the money in accordance with the law. This is according to the law. The law is made by experts because there are academic texts, and so on. and care. Now PSBB is micro, RT, RW of all kinds," he said.

Don't delay tightening, the cost will be more expensive

Faisal reminded the government not to delay the tightening any longer. This is because the government will pay more for the recovery. According to Faisal, Indonesia is also not too late to solve the pandemic problem.

"So let's call now or we will experience even more expensive costs considering the capacity of our health system is very limited. That's why we call the president, sir, it's not too late," he said.

According to Faisal, if the government had implemented the lockdown from the start, the costs would not be large. In fact, he said, it is smaller than the current PEN budget issued by the government.

"We imagine that the lockdown was carried out at the beginning, we locked Jakarta for 3 weeks, the budget was not up to Rp. 100 trillion. Now, the PEN has reached Rp. 600 trillion. Now the calculations are more complicated, of course, because Indonesia is very broad," he said. .

"So again in terms of costs, it will reach hundreds of trillions of course, that's the cost of the delay. And the delay will be even more expensive if we end up collapsing and locking up. So if we collapse, the cost will be much more expensive. That's for sure," he continued.

In addition, Faisal asked President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to replace the real COVID-19 warlord. Because, currently Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto who was appointed to the committee for handling COVID-19 and national economic recovery (KPC-PEN) is considered to be oriented towards economic recovery.

"So that we are not disappointed, appoint a real warlord who is able to show actions that are in accordance with data and based on science," he said.