Can Budi Gunadi Reduce Terawan Negative Sentiment About The Confusion Of Pandemic Affairs?

President Joko Widodo introduces six new ministers (Photo: Twitter @setgabgoid)

JAKARTA - Unexpectedly, a banker is now the new Minister of Health. Yesterday, President Joko Widodo summoned Budi Gunadi Sadikin to the State Palace to give the post of Minister of Health to replace Terawan Agus Putranto, who has a military medical background.

"Mr. Budi Gunadi Sadikin, he was President Director of Bank Mandiri, then President Director of PT Asahan Inalumunium and Vice Minister of BUMN, and now we give the responsibility to lead the Ministry of Health," said President Jokowi at the State Palace, Tuesday, December 22.

Budi began working in the banking world when he joined Bank Bali as General Manager of Electronic Banking in the Jakarta area and Chief General Manager of Human Resources until 1999.

Then he jumped to ABN Amro Bank Indonesia to become Director of Consumer and Commercial Banking for ABN Amro Bank Indonesia and Malaysia until 2004. Then Budi continued his career at Bank Danamon as Executive Vice President of Consumer Banking and Director at Adira Quantum Multi Finance.

In 2006, Budi served as Director of Micro & Retail Banking at PT Bank Mandiri (Persero). Until 2013, he was appointed President Director of Bank Mandiri until March 21, 2016.

In the same year, Budi began to join forces with the government to become the Special Staff of the Minister of BUMN. In addition, he was also active as a Member of the Advisory Board of the Indonesian Fintech Association at that time.

A year later, Budi was appointed as President Commissioner of PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminum (Persero) or Inalum before becoming effective as President Director on September 14, 2017.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin (Photo: Twitter @setkabgoid)

Questioning Budi Gunadi Sadikin's ability

The appointment of Budi Gunadi Sadikin as Minister of Health is certainly a heavy responsibility. Because, currently the world, including Indonesia, is facing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Currently, the spike in COVID-19 cases cannot be controlled. Unfortunately, Minister of Health Terawan as the biggest person in charge of handling the pandemic did not show a good performance during his tenure.

Epidemiologist from Griffith University, Dicky Budiman said, the hard homework that awaits Budi Gunadi is to bring the curve of COVID-19 cases going forward, reduce the reproductive rate as low as possible, and increase the coverage of treatment.

"Of course, the big homework is actually we have to have a comprehensive pandemic control program, both short and long term. Because, this is what the previous Minister of Health had not had," said Dicky to VOI.

Without a background in the health sector, it would be a public question about Budi Gunadi's skills in carrying out his position. Therefore, according to Telkom University political communication expert, Dedi Kurnia Syah said Budi had a double burden.

"Budi Gunadi himself already has problems in facing the image of the Minister of Health so far. He has two agendas, namely improving public confidence in the national health condition and convincing the public that he is a figure who has no problem with the linearity of the health sector," said Dedi when contacted by VOI.

So far, he said, the root of Terawan's performance problems is disharmony with the national health organization, chaos in instructions for handling pandemics, and often makes blunder statements.

So, according to Dedi, Budi Gunadi must be able to communicate all internal health stakeholders to really work based on one instruction so that everything is systematic.

"As an engineer, Budi Gunadi is very good at reading numbers. He can handle this in paying attention to the spread of the pandemic and making decisions in policies. With orderly coordination, it will greatly help the performance of the Ministry of Health to be better," explained Dedi.

A year Terawan and his stuttering face a pandemic

"You (a healthy person), if you don't need to cover it, you will think that you are sick. Only the sick are wearing masks so they don't infect. The healthy ones protect immunity."

This statement was made by Terawan at RSPI Sulianti Suroso, North Jakarta, Monday, March 2. At that time, the first cases of COVID-19 had just entered Indonesia. A Depok resident contracted the corona virus by a foreigner from Japan.

Perhaps, Terawan's intention at that time was to urge healthy citizens not to wear masks in order to make it easier for sick people to find mask stocks on the market. This is because the need for masks in Indonesia has increased after information on the corona virus emerged in Wuhan, China. Masks were scarce and the price shot up.

However, Terawan's expression was criticized by many parties. With the intention of calming down the public regarding this new pandemic, Terawan is even considered too relaxed and does not care about public health.

Moreover, before there was a COVID-19 case in Indonesia in February, Terawan was able to say that the corona did not enter the country thanks to prayer.

Terawan Agus Putranto (Diah Ayu Wardani / VOI)

After several blunders, Jokowi finally appointed a special spokesperson for handling the COVID-19 pandemic, who at that time was assigned to Achmad Yurianto, before the spokesperson for the COVID-19 Handling Task Force is now Wiku Adisasmito.

Terawan's performance as Minister of Health is becoming increasingly invisible. Terawan's work skills are increasingly being questioned by the public. Until finally Terawan was removed by Jokowi and his position was replaced by Budi Gunadi Sadikin.