President Joko Widodo explained a number of steps taken by the Indonesian government in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic that has hit Indonesia and countries in the world since 2020. According to the President, the first step taken by the government is to carry out effective macro and micro management so that all parties participate dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.
"I see all of us working because we are stressed by problems, pressured by problems, everyone is working. That is what I have never seen before," said the President in his remarks at the opening of the National Coordination Meeting (Rakornas) for the Transition of Handling Covid-19 and National Economic Recovery (PC-PEN) Year 2023 at the AA Maramis Building, Jakarta, on Thursday, 26 January 2023.
The President said that Indonesia and all countries have no experience in overcoming a pandemic. When most of his ministers suggested that the government implement a lockdown, President Jokowi had other considerations.
"My calculations, in 2 or 3 weeks the people can no longer have even a small chance to make a living, everything is closed, the state cannot provide assistance to the people, what happened? The people must have rioted. That's what we calculated so we decided at that time not to lockdown," said the President.
The second step taken by the government is to carry out good synergy and collaboration between the central government, regional governments, to the TNI and Polri. This can be seen from the number of Covid-19 vaccines that have been injected into the public, which has reached 448 million injections.
"That's all we can do and we see that the TNI and Polri are really working beyond their core duties. Going to the villages to persuade people to want to be vaccinated is not an easy job," said the President.
The third step taken by the government is to carry out "gas and brake" management in order to balance health and the national economy. The President said this step was not an easy thing to do.
"Once the calculation is a little wrong, the economy will fall. But if the gas is too fast the pandemic can increase. That's what we do to maintain a balance between health and the economy, all of which put pressure on state management, it's not easy," said the President.
The next step for the government is to make decisions and speed of action in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the speed in acting is adjusted to the data in the field.
Finally, the President considered the large amount of public participation in dealing with the pandemic and the national economy as the step that most supports the government's success in handling the pandemic. This participation allows all parties to participate in handling the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
"It is this participation that we have to appreciate, we appreciate, because everyone is giving support to the business world, the people below, everything is moving," he stated.
Jakarta, 26 Januari 2023
Biro Pers, Media, dan Informasi Sekretariat Presiden
Website: https://www.presidenri.go.id
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[ISTA/ACU/YOY]
