JAKARTA - After reviewing the COVID-19 Emergency Hospital on Galang Island, Batam, Riau Islands, President Joko Widodo advised regional heads to follow the rules that have been decided by the central government in dealing with the corona virus or COVID-19 in Indonesia, namely Large-Scale Social Restrictions ( PSBB) is not a regional quarantine.
Jokowi has already given this message some time ago. He asked regional heads to share a command with the central government in dealing with COVID-19. This message was issued when several regions decided to adopt a regional quarantine policy. Jokowi reminded that this kind of decision could only be taken by the central government.
Political observer Hendri Satrio assesses that there is an impression of mutual competition between the regional and central governments. He also said, this means there is communication that is not smooth in it.
"The basic principle is that the central and regional governments are not allowed to compete. That is the principle. If then there is a competition, it means that there is wrong coordination and communication," Hendri told VOI via text message, Thursday, April 2.
He said it was natural for Jokowi to reprimand regional heads who overstepped the central authority in dealing with COVID-19. However, Hendri understands that regional heads do this because the central government is considered slow in making decisions.
Before the PSBB policy, several regional heads wanted regional quarantine. Some of them are Tegal City and DKI Jakarta.
According to Hendri, handling COVID-19 can run well when communication is smooth and the Ministry of Home Affairs is tasked with conveying this information to the regions.
"Who is most responsible for central and regional communications, right, Ministry of Home Affairs. So it is an indirect warning to the Ministry of Home Affairs. In order to better coordinate regional heads," he said.
Meanwhile, Executive Director of the Indonesian Political Review, Ujang Komarudin, said that the central government needs to continue to remind local governments about the policies that have been taken. Because, if this is not the case, there will be local governments that will adopt a different policy from the central government.
"If not so, many regional heads will make their respective policies. ... Many regions want to lock down but not by the central government," said Ujang adding, Government Regulation Number 21 of 2020 concerning Large-Scale Social Restrictions must be followed by the whole area.
"Currently, Pak Jokowi has made a decision. So it must be obeyed by regional heads. If yesterday there was no decision from Pak Jokowi, so that the regions make their respective policies to secure their areas from corona siege," he said.
The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD denied the inconsistency of the central and local governments in dealing with COVID-19. He said, during the handling of this virus pandemic, the central and regional governments continued to be compact and in line.
"Don't try to think that the regional government and the central government are not united, so far they have been united. Only the community narrates differently. Actually they are united," Mahfud said in his statement.
The former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK) claims that every day the governors often hold meetings with the central government. Thus, all movements are carried out in one command.
"All stated that they were under one command. So that we did not have to be provoked as if there was a conflict between the center and the regions," he said.
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