Indonesia Is In A Good Position In The Global Competition For Vaccine Creators

Corona vaccine candidate from China National Biotec Group (Source: Antara)

JAKARTA - Indonesia is in a strategic position in the competition for the development of the COVID-19 vaccine in the world. There are a number of reasons. One of them is Indonesia's free and active foreign policy.

University of Indonesia international relations observer Shofwan Al Banna Choiruzzad assessed that vaccine development has now become the interest of all countries in the world. Indonesia must take part in this competition.

"The position of Indonesia which is free and active is quite clear ... Our interest is not in who will win or lose in this geopolitical competition, but to ensure that this great political power does not adversely affect us," he said, quoted from Antara, Tuesday, September 15.

A number of countries are developing a vaccine for COVID-19. Some of them have entered the stage of clinical trials in humans to assess how effective the vaccine is, and what side effects it might cause. After a series of trials, then the vaccine can be mass produced and distributed.

The United States (US) is one of the leading countries. The US now has at least six vaccine candidates from six pharmaceutical companies that are in the clinical trial stage. Apart from that there is Russia with Sputnik V which was registered last August. Sputnik V is now ready to be tested on 55 thousand volunteers.

From Asia, China is not behind the vaccine from the Sinovac company. The company has signed a partnership with Bio Farma and is currently undergoing phase III clinical trials in Bandung. West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil is known to be one of the vaccine volunteers.

"What is of concern to Indonesia is how to encourage international organizations to more effectively facilitate cooperation among countries with competitive tendencies," said Shofwan.

Meanwhile, Paramadina University international political observer Ahmad Khoirul Umam, separately, explained that "in the context of (vaccine) production, the fact is that Indonesia has not been able to have sufficient logistical strength or research capacity."

"Like it or not, in the context of international relations, we have to use the bandwagoning method - by holding it in countries that have adequate research and production capacity for the procurement of the COVID-19 vaccine," said Umam.

Therefore, according to him, Indonesia must intensify communication with external forces, both countries and companies from other countries, as well as obtain transfer of knowledge and technology from them. "And the most important part of the vaccine (procurement effort) is the transfer of knowledge and the transfer of technology so that Indonesia does not depend on procurement and production (from outside)," concluded Umam.