If You Feel Inadequate, The Option To Withdraw From The Minister Of Health Terawan Is Recommended

Indonesian Cabinet Ministers Advances during a closed meeting (Photo: Cabinet Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia)

JAKARTA - Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto has been asked to prove his ability to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. This was conveyed by Amanat Institute researcher Dirga Maulana. This is because the community is eagerly awaiting the breakthrough from Minister of Health Terawan.

But instead of making a move, Terawan showed his inability. This is evident from failed public communications, collaborating with parties outside the government, and an invisible work ethic.

"Even though the public is waiting for a breakthrough from the Minister of Health in this crisis situation. Terawan's inability was accumulated with Jokowi's anger, who indirectly criticized the performance of his ministers," said Dirga when contacted by VOI, Friday, July 10.

This breakthrough, he continued, is very much needed because in the midst of a pandemic like now there are serious problems that must be handled by Terawan. One of them is allocating funds for the availability of personal protective equipment and financing hospitals and health facilities.

In addition, Terawan must also have the courage to allocate funds for health research and innovation. "The pandemic must be an important lesson for the government in prioritizing health," he said.

If the former Head of the Central Army Hospital (RSPAD) Gatot Subroto feels he is inadequate, Dirga assessed that Terawan could follow in the footsteps of several health ministers from other countries to resign from his position.

"Terawan might be able to imitate the attitude of the two ministers of health in Ecuador and the Netherlands if his breakthrough is not seen and felt by the public," he said.

It is known, Dutch Health Minister Bruno Bruins resigned from his post after failing during a debate with parliament regarding the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the windmill country. After the incident, quoted from Dutch News on March 19, the Dutch government then officially announced the resignation of Bruins.

Meanwhile, Ecuador's Health Minister, Catalina Andramuno, resigned from her position after the Ecuadorian government announced the increase in positive cases of COVID-19 to reach 500 cases.

If Dirga advised Terawan to resign, political observers from Paramadina University would consider otherwise. According to him, the continuation of the minister to work in the government cabinet is indeed decided by the president.

It's just that a reshuffle or cabinet reshuffle is a sure thing if a minister is deemed unable to show his best performance, especially in times of crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"If the president sees that this is failing, I will support him if the president wants to change. But if the president says no, then what do we want to say," he said.

He also considered that in the midst of this pandemic, Jokowi actually needed a Minister of Health who concentrated on health recovery and concerned with health workers. However, he said that according to Hendri, Terawan had not met this standard. "He stuttered. Slow to heat so late movements," he said.

Previously, a number of parties had suspected that Terawan would be included in Jokowi's list of ministers to be reshuffled. A political observer from Al-Azhar University Indonesia, Ujang Komarudin said Terawan's position was prone to being reshuffled.

"Terawan's position is vulnerable, prone to being reshuffled if there is a reshuffle," Ujang said when contacted by VOI, Tuesday, June 30.

There are several reasons that make Ujang sure that Terawan will enter the hot seat. First, this is implied by Jokowi's statement that a number of his ministers are mediocre despite the ongoing crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The work of the Minister of Health is standard and mediocre. Nothing can be proud of its performance in Jokowi's eyes and in the eyes of the public," he said.

Some time ago, the Indonesia Political Opinion (IPO) released the results of their survey regarding public perceptions about the reshuffle or reshuffling of ministers in the Advanced Indonesia cabinet. IPO Director Dedi Kurniasyah said the public wanted the president to do the reshuffle.

In the survey, 72.9 percent of respondents wanted Jokowi to reshuffle. Meanwhile, 22.4 percent of respondents considered the reshuffle unnecessary and 4.7 percent of respondents admitted to abstaining or not voting.

There are many ministers who are deemed worthy of being reshuffled in the survey and those who occupy the top positions are Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna Laoly and Minister of Health Terawan.

"Minister of Law and Human Rights, Yasonna Laoly, is consistently in the top position, most hopefully a reshuffle with an assessment of 64.1 percent. Then followed by Minister of Health Terawan Agus Putranto 52.4 percent," said Dedi as quoted from his written statement.

In the next position, as many as 47.5 percent of respondents hoped that Ida Fauziyah was reshuffled from his position. Then, 40.8 percent of respondents wanted Minister of Religion Fachrul Razi to be replaced from his position.

Furthermore, as many as 36.1 percent of respondents hoped that the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Edhy Prabowo would be reshuffled and 33.2 percent of respondents wanted the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Panjaitan to also be reshuffled.

As many as 30.6 percent of respondents also hoped that the Minister of Social Affairs Juliari Batubara was reshuffled. Then, 28.1 percent of respondents wanted the Minister of Cooperatives and UKM Teten Masduki to be replaced. Finally, 24.7 percent of respondents wanted Menpora Zainudin to be replaced and 18.4 percent of respondents wanted Erick Thohir to be reshuffled.

The survey was conducted by involving 1,350 respondents in 30 provinces from June 8 to June 25 with a purposive sampling wellbeing research method, namely interviews by telephone. The confidence level of the survey results is 97 percent with a margin of error or error rate in the survey of 3.54 percent.