Upholding Democracy amid Pandemic

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

A democracy-themed mural adorns the walls of the Office of the General Elections Commission in Solo, Central Java. The mural carries a message about the growth of the democratic process amid sociocultural diversity of the people.

The Covid-19 pandemic has hit many sectors of state life, including the quality of democracy. The steps the government takes in managing the crisis during the pandemic certainly should give prominence to democratic quality.

The risks of to democracy among the world’s nations as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic is described in the Pandemic Backsliding Risk Index of Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem), a research institute.

The index monitors the Covid-19 policies and measures to in 179 countries affected by the pandemic, including their effects on governance and democracy in a country. The index applies more than a dozen indicators for the Covid-19 management and control measures governments around the world have implemented.

These include national emergency measures, central-regional synergy, civil liberties, executive and legislative roles and supervision, military involvement in enforcement of Covid19 emergency measures.

The index found that 47 countries were not at risk of pandemic backsliding, 34 countries were at medium risk of democratic decline and 48 were in the high-risk group.

The index found that 47 countries were not at risk of pandemic backsliding, 34 countries were at medium risk of democratic decline and 48 were in the high-risk group.

Covid-19 had spread to 216 countries by the end of May 2020. The United States remains the country with the highest number of confirmed cases at 1.6 million, with over 100,000 deaths. The figures even represent a third of the global total of confirmed cases, which has hit the 5.8 million mark.

Besides the US, Brazil has long been seen as a new epicenter of Covid-19 transmission. The increasing number of Covid-19 cases in Brazil indeed is a reason for concern, as Brazil ranks second in the world with 438,000 confirmed cases and more than 26,000 deaths.

Also read: Protect Healthy Democracy

Meanwhile, European countries like Russia, Britain, Spain, Italy and Germany still rank among the countries most heavily impacted by the pandemic. Covid-19 has generally affected no less than 200,000 people in the continent. The confirmed cases in Russia are estimated to be over 396,000.

AFP/EVARISTO SA

Brazilian nurses honour health workers who have died of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, during a demonstration in Brasilia, on May 12, 2020. - The new coronavirus was circulating in Brazil in early February, weeks earlier than initially detected, and just before millions of people were partying in the streets for carnival, according to a new study. Brazil is the Latin American country hardest hit in the pandemic, with more than 11,500 deaths and 168,000 infections so far. Experts say under-testing means the real figures are probably far higher.

Index

Although the Covid-19 pandemic has dealt a major blow to the US and European countries, the crisis has not affected the quality of their governance or democracy.

V-Dem’s Pandemic Backsliding Risk Index ranks the US and European nations such as Russia and Spain among those at medium risk of a decline in democracy.

Italy and Germany demonstrate a slightly better condition with their comparatively low risk of democratic decline. In fact, Italy was previously among those countries facing the worst crisis in Covid-19 management, marked by a spike in confirmed cases and a significant mortality rate, as well as a shortage of health workers.

Conversely, the Brazilian government’s Covid-19 management measures have failed to reduce the spread of the virus and have also affected the country’s democracy. According to the index, Brazil ranks among those nations at a high risk of democratic decline due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It has not optimally executed health emergency measures or social restrictions, for instance.

The government’s resoluteness in acting and enforcing its Covid-19 management measures has considerably affected the conditions in Brazil. It has not optimally executed health emergency measures or social restrictions, for instance.

The virus has continued to be transmitted at a massive rate, turning Brazil into a new epicenter of infection. The threat of democratic decline is now raising the possibility of imminent crisis in the country of samba.

Apart from Brazil, Iran also ranks among the top 10 countries most affected by Covid-19 with a high risk of democratic decline due to the pandemic.

Indonesia

In the meantime, the Pandemic Backsliding Risk Index ranks Indonesia at medium risk, like the US, Russia and Spain. Although it is not at high risk, Covid-19 management and control in Indonesia still needs improvement in several aspects. The pandemic backsliding risk in Indonesia is fairly favorable compared with other ASEAN countries, most of which rank among countries at high risk of declining democracy.

Kompas

Medical workers at the Duren Sawit Community Health Center (Puskesmas) in East Jakarta, take photos together after administering rapid and swab tests on sellers at Perumnas Klender Market on Friday (29/5/2020). More than 50 sellers underwent testing. Similar tests conducted last week found 50 sellers had COVID-19. The Indonesian Market Sellers Association recorded that 233 sellers had tested positive for COVID-19 nationally, of which 19 died.

According to the indicators used in the index, the government should note some important aspects need evaluation and review in Covid-19 management and control while adhering to democratic principles.

The government’s declaration of a national emergency as the initial step in pandemic management is deemed highly appropriate. However, conformity in the execution of Covid-19 measurement between the central and regional governments still needs work.

Also read: Systemic Covid-19 Mitigation Prepared for Hardest-Hit Regions

Several issues regarding coordination and the variation of Covid-19 protocols are still found in the regions, such as differences in the extent of social restrictions, patient management and social aid distribution.

Another highlighted matter is the issuance of regulation in lieu of Law No. 1/2020 on Covid-19 pandemic funding, which was passed into Law No. 2/2020 as a legal reference.

The reduction of the DPR’s role in budgetary legislation has prompted public suspicion over transparency and given rise to executive and legislative polemics amid the endeavor to deal with Covid-19.

The regulation serves as a legal basis for the government to amend the state budget on income and expenditure without referring to the House of Representatives (DPR). The reduction of the DPR’s role in budgetary legislation has prompted public suspicion over transparency and given rise to executive and legislative polemics amid the endeavor to deal with Covid-19.

In addition, another factor affecting the risk of pandemic backsliding in Indonesia is the appointment of military officers to the management of the Wisma Atlet Covid-19 Emergency Hospital in Jakarta (Kompas.id, 22/5/2020).

The Pandemic Backsliding Risk Index’s assessment of democratic decline is even more worrying when viewed from the declining trend in the quality of democracy in Indonesia. Data from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index 2006-2019 showed that Indonesia recorded its highest ever score in 2015 (7.03), but it declined to 6.48 in 2019.

Relaxing measures

The Covid-19 pandemic has hit countries in America and Europe particularly hard, as well as Indonesia. It has not only threatened public health, but also affected all aspects of governance and statehood.

LAPRESSE VIA AP/CLAUDIO FURLAN

Commuters pack the Cardona train station in Milan, Italy, on Monday (4/5/2020). Italy has begun to relax a policy of temporary closures that had been implemented to break the spread of Covid-19.

The public has of course pinned high hopes on every strategic Covid-19 measure from the government. Supervision is also important so that the government’s measures are implemented both optimally and transparently. The condition is gradually improving in European countries that have experienced major crises due to the Covid-19 pandemic, such as Italy and Spain. Optimism for Indonesia should thus be boosted while continuing to keep close watch on the government’s epidemic management and control efforts.

The subsiding outbreak in Italy and Spain has prompted those governments to start relaxing quarantine rules in phases. In Spain, for example, the government has decided to ease quarantine with the strict imposition of restrictions on travel and non-essential activities. The Italian government has also done the same in certain regions that have been declared “safe” from Covid-19.

Similarly, discussions are now gaining ground to relax the social restrictions towards lead a “new normal” in several regions in Indonesia that meet the requirements.

Covid-19 transmission continued to increase in Indonesia until the end of May, with the Covid-19 Rapid Response Task Force announcing more than 26,000 confirmed cases and no less than 1,600 deaths.

This means that the long journey to overcome the pandemic must still continue by responding to the various challenges that naturally include preserving the quality of Indonesia’s democracy.

(KOMPAS Research & Development Division)