Introductory Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia in the Limited Cabinet Meeting on the Acceleration of Handling the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic Monday, 29 June 2020 at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

Distinguished Vice President,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today’s Limited Cabinet Meeting, we will evaluate the acceleration of the handling of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. On this good opportunity I urge once again that we should not work in linear movement. I order that there must be a breakthrough that can be seen by the people and will really have an impact on the handling’s acceleration. So it’s not just business as usual. It could be done by adding more officers or medical personnel from the central to provinces outside the Capital that show a high trend of transmission. Second, we can also provide assistance by supplying more equipment and management. We will control and supervise these two things in the province level since if we don’t do something and we are still doing business as usual, there won’t be any significant improvement.

Second, I also instruct to oversee the areas that are starting to implement the New Normal to fully meet the requirements. Be it precondition, the timing, there should be guidance from the central so they will not make a wrong step. The precondition, timing, and the priority which sector will be opened first must be included in the guidance.

Next, the involvement of religious leaders, community leaders, humanists, sociologists, anthropologists in public communication must be done massively. The measure is taken to avoid the incidents of COVID-19 patients’ remains being hijacked by their family. I think such incidents must not happen again in the future.

Then, on the PCR and rapid test that are rejected by the people. The rejection may happen since there are no dissemination and explanation of the tests beforehand.

Furthermore, I instruct that disbursement payments for health services related to COVID-19 to be accelerated. There must be no complaints. For example, the family of the deceased must be immediately given assistance. The procedure at Ministry of Health can be streamlined not protracted. If the rules in the Ministerial Regulation are too complicated, then simplify them. Pay for hospital claims, incentives for medical personnel and lab workers as soon as possible. What are we waiting for? We already have the budget.

Last, in my opinion the most important thing is solid and integrated control so that all of our efforts can be effective. No more room for sectoral ego, ministries ego, institutions ego, regional egos, let alone doing things in their own ways. I think we have to eliminate these. The supports of Indonesian National Defense Force and Indonesian National Police, especially in maintaining the discipline of the community, mainly at the high-risk public areas, are expected to be truly preserved in this regard.

And that concludes my statement and I remind you again to prepare a breakthrough so that there is something new that we are working on hand in hand and it leaves a huge impact on society to truly comply with our existing health protocols.

That’s all for my introduction.

Thank you.

Translated by Galuh Wicaksono H
Reviewed by Lulu Wuliarti