Directives of President of the Republic of Indonesia during Handover Ceremony of the 2021 Productive Presidential Aid for Micro-scale Enterprises (BPUM), Friday, 30 July 2021, Merdeka Palace, Jakarta

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Good morning, peace and prosperity be upon us,

Shalom,

Om Swastiastu,

Namo Buddhaya, 

Greetings of virtue.

Honorable Ministers,

Mr. President Director,

Recipients of Productive Presidential Aid for Micro-scale Enterprises (BPUM) both attending in-person and online.

I am aware that you are currently facing difficult conditions, very difficult conditions. Is that correct?

But they are felt by everyone, not only by micro and small enterprises players, but also by medium and large business players.  Everyone is facing these difficult situations and these affect not only business players in Indonesia but also those around the globe.

Back in January, February, March, April, May, the number of COVID-19cases started to drop. If cases go down, the economy will definitely rebound. We can see that happening.

However, unexpectedly, a Delta variant emerged, a new variant, a new type of Coronavirus appeared in India, then in all countries around the world.

The global economy was also shaken. We share the same story. As soon as the Delta virus appeared, the number of confirmed cases immediately rose drastically.

And, there was no other way at that time. Because on the islands of Java and Bali, we saw that all the dots were red. None of them were yellow. So, we made a very difficult decision, namely by implementing the emergency PPKM (community activity restrictions).

There was no other way due to the spike in cases. And, Thank God, now at least we can slow it down bit by bit.

This morning, I also checked the condition in Wisma Atlet emergency hospital for COVID-19 and the bed occupancy rate has declined from 90 percent to 38 percent. It was 90 percent, almost full.

We should also be grateful for this. And, I see that cases in regions in the island of Java have started to slowly decline, but regions outside Java have seen a rise. This is indeed the Delta variant. The transmission is very fast.

Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, we have to work even harder, to be resilient amid the situation. I am telling you what it is and I am not trying to scare you, but when is the coronavirus cases can end, even WHO (World Health Organization) cannot predict it yet.

So once again, we aim at health recovery but we also slowly take care of our economy. We cannot impose lockdown just like in other countries. Lockdown means complete closure.

The emergency PPKM is a semi-lockdown policy. It is not a total lockdown but when I inspected villages, regions, everyone wants it to end. I think you will also share a similar story. If we implement lockdown, we can imagine it and that does not guarantee that it can solve the problems.

Therefore, once again, ladies and gentlemen, everyone has to work even harder in this kind of situation. Stay strong. Even though the turnover may be down to 75 percent or down to half, you have to keep going.

We are still in the process of getting 70 percent vaccination [target], which we hope will be completed by the end of this year, God willing.

Once 70 percent [of the population is vaccinated], at least the transmission of the virus will be somewhat slowed down once we achieve herd immunity.

I think this concludes my directive on this auspicious occasion.

Good luck with your work.

And, we all hope that this pandemic will end soon. Do not forget to wear a face mask, to wash your hands, to avoid the crowd, to maintain a safe distance. These measures are crucial to prevent further spread of the virus.

This will conclude it. I thank you.

Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

I have not said it yet. In 2021, we will distribute this Productive Presidential Aid worth Rp15.3 trillion to 12.8 million micro and small enterprises players.

So, not just you but also 12.8 million micro and small enterprises players across the country. ​We began the distribution today. We hope this aid can help boost our economy.

Thank you. (FI/EP)