President Jokowi Oversees COVID-19 Mitigation, National Economic Recovery: Cabinet Secretary

Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung gives a press statement at the President’s Office, Jakarta, Tuesday (21/7). (Photo by: PR)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo directly oversees, monitors, and controls all policies relating to the COVID-19 mitigation and national economic recovery, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said.

“Under the President, there is a Policymaking Committee comprising Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs as Chairperson of the Committee. There are also six Deputy Chairpersons, namely Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Minister of Finance, Minister of Health, and Minister of Home Affairs,” Pramono said, Tuesday (21/7).

Furthermore, Minister of SOEs Erick Thohir acts as Executive Chairperson and is tasked to deliver policies and directives from the President and the Policymaking Committee and is responsible on the ground, Pramono added.

“Under the Executive Chairperson, there are two working committee, namely the COVID-19 Working Committee chaired by Doni Monardo, who was previously the COVID-19 Task Force Chairperson, and the National Economic Recovery and Transformation Working Committee led by Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Deputy SOEs Minister,” he said.

According to Pramono, under the Working Committee structure, there is a regional COVID-19 mitigation working committee automatically integrated in accordance with Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 82 of 2020 on COVID-19 Mitigation and National Economic Recovery Team.

The Policymaking Committee, Pramono continued, is tasked to establish recommendations and report them to the President for necessary measures.

“Duties of the Policymaking Committee Chairperson, Executive Chairperson, the COVID-19 Mitigation Working Committee, and the National Economic Recovery and Transformation Working Committee are regulated in detail in the Presidential Regulation,” he said.

Regarding the COVID-19 Task Force, Pramono further explained that in Article 20 paragraph (1) and (2) of the Presidential Regulation, the term “Task Force” (Gugus Tugas) has now become “the Working Committee” (Satuan Tugas) given that the latter is based on a presidential regulation and does not stand alone and there is another working committee,” he said.

Pramono also pointed out that the existing regional Task Force will continue to work and will not be disbanded as it automatically becomes the regional Working Committee as referred to in Article 20 Paragraph 2 of the Presidential Regulation.

“All tasks assigned to the Task Force have automatically shifted since the establishment of national or regional COVID-19 Mitigation Working Committee,” Cabinet Secretary said. (FID/EN)

Translator: Muhardi
Reviewed by: M. Ersan Pamungkas