For Jokowi, The Pressure Of The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Actually For All Liners To Work

Photo: BPMI Setpres/Rusman

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic has provided valuable experience. High pressure on the situation can make all levels of government work synergistically for one common goal.

"Everything works. That's what I didn't see before. So, this is an experience. It turns out, if we want all of us to work, we have to press it first," said Jokowi when opening the National Coordination Meeting (Rakornas) for the Transition of Handling COVID-19 and National Economic Recovery (PC-PEN) at AA Maramis Building, Ministry of Finance, Jakarta, Thursday 26 January.

Jokowi appreciated the ranks of ministries and non-ministerial government agencies (K/L) at the center to the village level who have worked hard for the last three years in handling the COVID-19 pandemic and trying to maintain economic stability.

He added those two things as tough challenges where there are almost no standard standards.

"Taking care of the pandemic and overcoming our economy is a very tough challenge, a very, very tough problem that we faced at that time, and there are no standards, there is no standard; because indeed we all do not have experience in dealing with this pandemic," he explained.

Apart from being faced with problems to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic situation, Jokowi continued, challenges also came in terms of the need to maintain economic stability.

"Imagine, state revenues have fallen 16 percent, even though spending has to increase by 12 percent. How to do it?" he said.

He also emphasized that the various difficulties faced provide great experiences to all levels of government.

"To all of us, to governors, regents, mayors, TNI and Polri who are in defense affairs, public order affairs, all take care of how the people can be injected and want to be injected with vaccines," said Jokowi.

Indonesia has implemented more than 448 million vaccine injections. He said this was not an easy problem, given Indonesia's geographical condition which was full of challenges.

Jokowi said how the TNI and Polri worked beyond their respective core tasks, by going to villages to invite the people to take part in the COVID-19 vaccination.

"What does that mean? It's a job that requires very good synergy and we can do everything," he said.