Jokowi: All Countries Are Dizzy Because Of The COVID-19 Pandemic

President Jokowi / PHOTO DOK VIA Jokowi's Instagram

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said all countries are currently facing a difficult situation. Apart from stuttering about the industrial revolution 4.0, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war between Russia and Ukraine also made conditions even more difficult.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic was not over but all countries had to return to face other problems due to war. This was conveyed during a speech at the Open Session of the 46th Anniversary of the Academic Senate of Sebelas Maret University (UNS).

"We know that the world is currently in a difficult situation, a situation that is not easy. All countries feel it, not just us," Jokowi said as quoted from Sebelas Maret University's YouTube, Friday, March 11.

"It's difficult, it's very difficult. We were previously faced with chronic disruption due to the industrial revolution 4.0 and everyone was stuttering, hit again with acute disruption because of a pandemic that we didn't expect. All of us are getting dizzy, all countries are getting dizzy. war," he added.

This condition, said Jokowi, increasingly shows that the global future is increasingly full of uncertainty and makes managing state finances difficult. He even said, many things that were not previously expected came to the surface.

This, he continued, was also felt by a number of other heads of state. One of them, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Jokowi said he had talked to Kishida who also felt the same condition. "PM Kishida from Japan said the same thing. The unfinished pandemic then there was an additional war so everything is very difficult to predict," he said.

One of the perceived difficulties is about the scarcity of energy. He said that because of the war, the price of oil has now risen to 115 US dollars per barrel.

Not only that, there are a number of other challenges posed by the current uncertain conditions. One of them is economic inflation which must be handled properly.

"The increase in inflation is carefully managing the current economy. The macro economy is managed but the micro economy is not taken care of, it can be dispersed. What does this mean, work now must be detailed. Otherwise, it will not solve the problem," said Jokowi.

Not only details, Jokowi also asked for speed to make changes and take advantage of existing opportunities. This step is the key that must be done in the midst of an uncertain situation like now.

"The key, in my opinion, the key is the speed of change and being able to take advantage of existing opportunities. This is what we will do," he said.

"Therefore, we need stability and what we do is economic transformation. In a position like this, the courage to transform this economy will provide benefits and provide long-term opportunities for the better," concluded Jokowi.