There Are Four Local Governments Sending Indonesian Citizens From China Without Coordination With The Central Government

Illustrated photo (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - The Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy said that there were four local governments that repatriated Indonesian citizens (WNI) from China. However, the repatriation was carried out without coordinating with the central government.

Even so, Muhadjir did not want to reveal which local government had repatriated Indonesian citizens to their hometowns. Only one area that he leaked, namely Lumajang Regency.

"There have been four (regions) that have been observed. The regional government on its own initiative summoned their local sons to return to Indonesia without coordination with the central government," Muhadjir said when met in the Menteng area, Central Jakarta, Monday, February 10.

Mostly, the Indonesian citizens who are sent home are students who are currently studying in China on the results of scholarships from the local government. Now, they have arrived in their home area.

Fortunately, said Muhadjir, the regional government who repatriated its Indonesian citizens guaranteed that they were not exposed to the corona virus. Given, the location of the Indonesian citizen is far from the center of the spread of the virus in Wuhan City, Hubei Province.

However, this still violates the procedures imposed by the central government. The reason is, since the development of the corona virus, the government must carry out a series of processes, from evacuation to observation for 14 days in a safe place and far from residential areas.

"We have already given a warning that all the minimum two weeks from mainland China, whether Indonesian citizens or foreign nationals who before entering Indonesia were in mainland China, must be carried out by the central government," Muhadjir explained.

"It is okay if the local government already has a place to make observations, it is sufficient. But, it would be nice if it also has to go through an observation check at the central level first before they return to their hometowns," he continued.

For information, as many as 238 Indonesian citizens are still at Raden Sadjad Air Base, Natuna Regency to be quarantined according to the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO) after being sent home from Wuhan City, China due to the outbreak of the corona virus. The plan is for repatriation to be carried out after 14 days of quarantine.

This number is less than the 245 residents who were to be picked up. The reason was that as many as four people did not return according to their wishes and three other people did not pass the health screening process.

To prepare for their return, Minister of Health (Menkes) Terawan Agus Putranto said the government would soon hold a meeting and discuss the mechanism.

"We will have a meeting if it passes Sunday, it's been more than a week. So, there we discuss the details of repatriation one by one, where the address is," said Terawan, Friday, February 7.

Apart from holding a meeting, the government will also immediately hold outreach regarding the corona virus in the area of origin of residents who have been repatriated from the city of Wuhan, China. The goal is that they don't get a negative stigma from society.

"Socialization to the areas of his parents, to his neighbors, to his local governments. So that our Indonesian citizens are healthy. That is what is necessary," said the former Head of the Gatot Subroto Army Hospital.