Speaker Of The House Of Representatives: COVID-19's Top Basic People's Security Handling

Speaker of the DPR Puan Maharani during a speech at the MPR Annual Session (screenshot from YouTube DPR RI)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) Puan Maharani highlighted the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic at the Joint Session of DPD RI and DPD RI.

Currently, a pandemic poses a threat to the safety and economy of society. Therefore, Puan asked the government to prioritize the safety of the people in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The principle of people's safety is the highest principle in the administration of state governance. This is increasingly important when we are faced with the COVID-19 pandemic," said Puan in a speech at the Joint Session of the DPR and DPD RI at the DPR / MPR RI Building, Friday, August 14.

Therefore, said Puan, various efforts and state policies to save the people must get the support of all parties.

"But on the other hand, the people also demand optimal government performance in acting swiftly, quickly and in an integrated manner in implementing various programs to protect the people, help the people, and restore the social and economic life of the Indonesian people," he said.

Furthermore, in the national economic sector, the sources of national economic growth contracted. In the second quarter of this year, economic growth contracted to minus 5.32 percent (year on year).

All sectors and fields of people's business are disrupted, resulting in reduced income, increased unemployment, increased poverty and decreased welfare of the people at large.

Therefore, asking the government to be able to carry out various effective measures, either through policies, cross-sector coordination, through fiscal and monetary instruments.

"Through Law No. 2 of 2020, the government has been given adequate space for authority in carrying out fiscal policies, state financial policies, and financial system stability policies, to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts," he said.