President Jokowi: Handling COVID-19 Needs Quick, Precise, Accountable Efforts

The Opening of 2020 National Internal Coordination Meeting at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Monday (15/6). (Photo: Oji/PR).

The Government’s efforts to mitigate COVID-19 pandemic should be materialized quickly, precisely, and accountably, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has said.

According to the President, the world is currently facing an extremely difficult situation in which 215 countries are facing health emergencies caused by the pandemic.

“All countries are struggling to save themselves from tremendous economic pressure since demand, supply, and production are still disrupted. The growth of the world economy has also been greatly affected and it has struggled to avoid recession,” the President said at the Opening of 2020 National Internal Coordination Meeting at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Monday (15/6).

The President added that amid the current situation, in all countries including Indonesia, a quick and appropriate response from the Government is needed.

“In the health sector we must control the virus transmission and prevent more people from getting infected,” he said, adding that in the socio-economic field, the Government must also guarantee that low-income families affected by the pandemic can have access to social protection and assistance.

“The Government must also ensure that informal and the MSMEs sectors are able to survive, businesses can continue to thrive and mass layoffs can be avoided,” President Jokowi said.

The President also pointed out that the Government has allocated funds amounting to Rp677.2 trillion to accelerate the handling of COVID-19 and for national economic recovery.

“This is a very large amount. Therefore, the governance must be good, well-targeted, the procedures must be simple and not convoluted. The outcomes must also bring benefits for all Indonesian people,” he said.

On that occasion, the Head of State also called on auditors to oversee and supervise the funds so that it can truly help the public and business people who are experiencing difficulties.

In terms of mitigation aspect, the President called on all stakeholders to mitigate any problems before they occur.

“Should there is a potential problem, do resolve it immediately. Build an early warning system, strengthen good governance, be transparent, and be accountable,” said the President. (TGH / EN)

Translated by: Estu Widyamurti
Reviewed by: M. Ersan Pamungkas