Together, Let Us Overcome These Challenges: President Jokowi

President Jokowi attends the 2021 National Chinese New Year Celebration virtually from the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java Province, Saturday (20/2). (Photo by: Presidential Secretariat Press Bureau/Lukas)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Saturday (20/2) virtually attended the 2021 National Chinese New Year Celebration from the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java Province.

Based on the Chinese calendar, it is the year of metal ox which symbolizes hard work, perseverance, patience, and desire to make progress. Through this philosophy, the Indonesian people are expected to strive to successfully face the existing challenges.

According to the President, the spirit of strength, courage, determination, and discipline of the metal ox must be shown to solve the existing challenges in the throes of the pandemic both in the health sector and the national economy.

“Handling health issues due to COVID-19 pandemic must continue to carry out. The 3M health protocols (mask-wearing, hands-washing, and physical-distancing), the 3T measures (testing, tracing, and treatment), the Enforcement of Micro-Scale Restrictions on Community Activity (PPKM), as well as the vaccination program must be implemented swiftly and effectively,” he said.

The President went on to say that all the powers of the nation must be assembled to solve the problems.

On that occasion, the President reiterated that the Government provides free COVID-19 vaccination for approximately 182 million people to achieve communal immunity (herd immunity).

For the record, the Government is currently implementing the second phase of vaccinations for public workers and people aged 60 years and above after it previously vaccinated healthcare workers.

“This week, the vaccinations will be carried out directly for public servants, public workers, including teachers and the elderly, which we need to prioritize, as well as workers in markets and economic centers. Yesterday, we have started the vaccinations in Tanah Abang Market before reaching the general public,” the President said.

The handling of health sector cannot be made alone by the Government, he added, but all elements of the nation must also join hands for the national economic recovery.

The Head of State said that the Government has rolled out several social assistance programs last year to increase people’s purchasing power, which also still continue this year for people at the grassroots level hit hard by the pandemic so that they could make their ends meet.

The Government has also taken measures to provide the widest possible job opportunities for the communities, including the opportunity through the labor-intensive program using the State Budget and Regional Budgets.

“The sustainable job creation comes from business players or business world. The key is not in the Government. If all business players provide job opportunities, it will be sustainable. This is what the communities need,” he added.

Therefore, the Government is implementing a host of policies to revive the business sector. The Government’s spending has also been allocated for domestic products purchase and a conducive ecosystem development, such as incentives for the business sector.

At the end of his remarks, the President emphasized that handling health issues and economic recovery is intertwined.

“We have to prove that health issues can be handled properly so that confidence in our economic revival will increase. We have to prove that the social and political situation remains stable and people’s purchasing power continues to increase. Supply and demand must also be raised synergistically,” he said.

“The key is togetherness, mutual cooperation as a great nation. I hope that in this year of the metal ox, we can work together, drive our great strength, our courage, and our discipline to take new leaps and breakthroughs in taking new bold steps so that we can escape the health and economic crises,” he remarked. (FID/UN) (RIF/MUR)