Providing Support Through Law, DPR Askes The Government To Be More Effective In Tackling The COVID-19 Pandemic

House Speaker Puan Maharani (Photo: DPR documentation)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Indonesian Parliament Puan Maharani said the COVID-19 pandemic was not only a health problem but also a problem of changing the economic and social order in Indonesia and throughout the world. So, he hopes that the government can carry out various effective measures through policies and fiscal or monetary instruments.

This, he said, must be done because the DPR has provided support to the government through Perppu 1 of 2020 which is now Law Number 2 of 2020 concerning State Financial Policy and Financial System Stability for Handling the COVID-19 Pandemic.

"Through this law, the government has been given adequate space for authority to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts," said Puan at the Plenary Opening of the First Session Period for the 2020-2021 Session Year at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Central Jakarta, Friday, August 14.

"The government is able to carry out the mandate of the law effectively to strengthen handling in the fields of health, social protection, economic recovery, and state public services," added the Chairman of the DPP PDIP.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on decreasing the welfare of the Indonesian people. This is evidenced by the increase in poverty and unemployment rates and a significant decrease in people's purchasing power. Thus, the government's fast work is urgently needed at this time.

"The performance of the government is increasingly being demanded by the people so that they can act swiftly, quickly and integratedly in carrying out various programs to protect the people, help the people, and restore the social and economic life of the Indonesian people," he said.

Furthermore, the government's projection to grow the national economy by 4.5 percent to 5.5 percent can happen. It's just that, Puan's opinion that the economic recovery can only be realized if the government continues to carry out economic recovery with the right target and benefits.

"The recovery of the national economy will only be realized if the Economic and Social Recovery Program carried out by the government this year runs well, is consistent, is right on target and has the right benefits," he said.