Coronavirus and Politics

Kompas/Heru Sri Kumoro

Volunteers from several organizations disinfect public outdoor facilities on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat on Sunday (15/3/2020) in Central Jakarta. Public facilities, such as chairs, electricity poles, garbage bins and pedestrian bridges, are being disinfected from the Kota Lama (Old Town) area to the Arjuna Wijaya Statue near the southwest corner of National Monument Square in Central Jakarta in an effort to curb the spread of Covid-19.

In order to maintain social cohesion amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a social safety net for the poorest must be made available to all sustainably. Public solidarity is also necessary.

Is it coronavirus and politics — or coronavirus politics? In the beginning, there was not a lot of positive correlation between the coronavirus outbreak and politics, be it at the local, national or global level.

It all began in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019. Then, the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19 spread rapidly to all corners of the world. The pandemic soon became a political and religious issue. International finger-pointing ensued.

Consequently, the coronavirus turned into not only a health issue but also a global politics issue. China accused United States military delegations visiting Wuhan in August 2019 to be responsible in spreading the virus. On the other hand, US President Donald Trump has called the new coronavirus “the Chinese virus”, which angered the Chinese government.

Political tension has also escalated between South Korea and Japan since early March when COVID-19 first spread to both countries. South Korea accused Japan of not being serious enough in fighting the outbreak. Meanwhile, 1.45 million South Koreans signed a petition demanding President Moon Jae-in to step down.

AFP/STR

This photo taken on March 10, 2020 shows a medical staff member cleaning the floor after all patients were discharged at a temporary hospital set up to treat people with the COVID-19 coronavirus in Wuhan in China\'s central Hubei province. - China reported an increase in imported coronavirus cases on March 11, fuelling concerns that infections from overseas could undermine progress in halting the spread of the virus.

How are things in Indonesia? In general, COVID-19 has not created any political noise. However, there were voices questioning the government’s overconfidence, resulting in “delays” of around two months in preparing itself and the people against COVID-19.

The lack of any disruptive political noise may be “beneficial”. As politics remain calm, the people can avoid all the panic surrounding the outbreak, including in facing the rupiah’s plummeting exchange rate and its wider economic impacts.

There has been almost no opposition from outside the government when, in his coronavirus politics, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo refused to impose a total lockdown in Jakarta or Java, let alone in all of Indonesia. The President insisted that social distancing, which was later rephrased as physical distancing, would be the way to go.

Let’s not even talk about a lockdown. Even with social and physical distancing, the lives of 40 million poor people, including the unemployed, informal workers and farmers, will be much more difficult.

In a limited meeting with all governors (23/3/2020), President Jokowi said that the government would earmark Rp 4.5 trillion (US$273.33 million) to be distributed to holders of the staple needs card for the next six months. The government would also allocate Rp 10 trillion for terminated casual workers and micro businesspeople losing profit due to the outbreak.

Are these incentives adequate as a social safety net for the poorest of Indonesians? It seems not. They also need help from philanthropic organizations and groups. To maintain social cohesion, a social safety net must be able to reach all the population sustainably. Otherwise, social unrest will explode.

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Medical staff checks equipment in the intensive care unit (ICU) on Monday (23/3/2020) at the Atlet Kemayoran Covid-19 Emergency Hospital in Jakarta. President Joko Widodo inspected the Athletes Village, which has been converted into a temporary emergency hospital, for its readiness in quarantining and treating Covid-19 patients. The facility can accommodate 24,000 people in quarantine and treat 3,000 patients.

Through all of his measures, it is understandable that there has been no sharp criticism of President Jokowi’s performance in managing the outbreak. Almost no political party, elite or members of the public voice sharp criticisms.

A Kompas poll (23/3) found that 84.2 percent of respondents were convinced that the government could overcome the coronavirus outbreak. The optimism seemed excessive as the government has been visibly overwhelmed by the outbreak. Differing statements between public officials with regards to how to manage the outbreak persist.

With regards to the political implementation of social and physical distancing measures, certain active or former government officials refuse to prevent huge crowds from forming. On the contrary, they encourage people to keep attending public social and religious activities and insist that God surely will protect His faithful followers.

Coordinated comprehensive measures to seek solutions are necessary to end all disagreements between central and regional leaderships. Besides, coordination between the government and mass organizations, universities, civilians and philanthropic organizations is also necessary. It will be difficult for the government to curb the increasingly massive spread of the new coronavirus. A Kompas survey (23/3) concluded that the power of public solidarity should not be underestimated in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

They can also be used to disseminate information on the importance of social and physical distancing by avoiding crowds of social and religious activities.

Various mass organizations and civil society and philanthropic institutions have many facilities and leverages such as hospitals, universities and networks that can be deployed to fight the outbreak. They can also be used to disseminate information on the importance of social and physical distancing by avoiding crowds of social and religious activities.

This is a heavy task considering the tendency of certain people to be ignorant. Many of them have insisted on leaving Jakarta for their hometown or braving through traffic jams to reach holiday spots like Puncak in West Java.

The government must be stricter, such as by closing facilities that may attract crowds. They should also disperse large gatherings and impose large fines or other criminal sanctions for such events.

Drastic measures are necessary before it is too late the virus’ spread becomes out of control. There is no other choice.