A mix of cultural, religious and geographical factors have made it almost impossible for Joko Widodo’s government to contain the virus
The country is now caught between limiting the pathogen’s deadly spread and the difficulties of enforcing isolation for millions who have to work to eat
Body stealing, island hopping and smiling are some of the latest challenges facing Indonesia as the virus spreads along the world’s largest archipelago, turning the Southeast Asian nation into the latest cautionary tale about how long the battle against the pandemic will last.
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Like other large developing nations with a lot of people in low-income brackets and a medical infrastructure unprepared for such a rapid and complex emergency, Indonesia is caught between the need to contain the epidemic and the difficulty of enforcing isolation for millions who have to work to eat. Added to that are a mix of cultural, religious and geographical factors unique to the country of 17,000 islands that have made it almost impossible for the government to contain the disease.
In mid-February, Wiranto, chairman of Indonesia’s presidential advisory council, and World Health Organisation representative Navaratnasamy Paranietharan held a joint press conference to assure the public that the government was prepared for a potential outbreak. Hours earlier at a palace compound next door, Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto, one of a few Christian ministers in the cabinet, told reporters people should not be ashamed of asking for God’s help should an epidemic come to Indonesia. “Ora et labora,” he said. Pray and work.
Within three weeks Indonesia reported its first case. Only then did the public learn that the country did not have enough reagent to test suspected cases, only had one laboratory in the capital capable of conducting the polymerase chain-reaction test, and was short of protective gear for medical workers, forcing some to resort to wearing green plastic raincoats.
“We have failed to manage this pandemic strategically,” said Pandu Riono, an epidemiologist at the University of Indonesia. “There are too many counterproductive narratives out there. Each of us has our own huge ego while we should have dealt with this with one voice.”
Health workers collects nasal swab samples during a mass test for the new coronavirus in a neighbourhood in Tangerang, Indonesia, on Friday. Photo: AP
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Indonesia’s failure to deal with the pandemic effectively could hand the economy its first recession since the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s and send millions back into poverty. The missteps have dented the popularity of President Joko Widodo. More than half the participants in a May survey said they were unhappy with the government’s handling of the pandemic. Jokowi, as the president is popularly known, saw his personal approval rating slip to 66.5 per cent in a May survey, from 69.5 per cent in February.
