Rizieq Shihab's Advice To Become A Vaccine Influencer, The COVID-19 Task Force: Government Collaborates With Various Stakeholders

Illustration of AstraZeneca Vaccine (Photo: Special)

JAKARTA - Spokesperson for the Task Force (Task Force) Handling COVID-19 Wiku Adisasmito said the government continues to collaborate with various stakeholders to make the COVID-19 vaccination program a success.

He conveyed this in response to suggestions from the Executive Director of Indonesian Political Indicators, Burhanuddin Muhtadi, who said that the government should involve the frontman of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) Rizieq Shihab as the influencer of the COVID-19 vaccine.

"The government continues to disseminate information to all elements of society by cooperating with various stakeholders," Wiku said in a press conference broadcast online on the Presidential Secretariat YouTube account, Tuesday, March 23.

This is done by the government so that the vaccination program to stop the transmission of COVID-19 in the community can be carried out successfully.

Previously reported, this proposal was submitted by Burhanuddin to increase public confidence in vaccines, especially after the circulation of allegations that the vaccine made by AstraZeneca contained pork enzymes.

"I suggest that even Habib Rizieq Shihab be a vaccination influencer. Because this is so that people don't see this as a political issue, but this is a common issue," said Burhanuddin in an online release of the Indicator survey broadcast on YouTube, Sunday, March 21.

He also said, based on the results of the Indicator survey in February 2021, it was recorded that as many as 81 percent of respondents considered the halal factor of the COVID-19 vaccine to be an important issue in the national vaccination program. Meanwhile, as many as 15 percent of respondents rated the safety aspect of vaccines as more important than halal.

Thus, the government should begin to maximize the roles of religious leaders, especially ulama, to make the national vaccination program a success.

"This means that this halal issue is crucial, including for me the government must maximize the role of clerical and religious leaders. So the vaccine influencer is not only Raffi Ahmad," he said.