The Impact of Indonesian People’s Habit over Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic-solving in Indonesia

M. S. Samudra R. Z. (180110101094) and Rachel Ayudia K.

English Department, and Pharmacy Department, Jember State University

Kalimantan Street 37th, East Kraja, Sumbersari, Jember, East Java

Abstract

Corona Virus is a serious disease that has been infected thousands of people in every country, except for country that have no citizen, like, north pole. This virus is a pneumonia-like virus that would infect human’s lungs and make him/er unable to breathe properly until s/he died. However, we, human, has some improvement in fighting this deadly corona virus, that is to prevent fiercely and cure rapidly. In order to prevent from being an infected, people locked down ourself within their home, dorm, room, and stay away from the red zone by playing safe as anti-social people. But this is causing other problems. People can’t work. Government has told people to work from home (WFH) and do everything in their home, that includes schools, classes, remote works, etc. As long as people has their gadgets and internet provided, they are safe, and this problem solved. Now, there is another problem We, human, has a hierarchy of social status. We are talking about the people who owns company, the people who owns hospital, people who have their work adjusted at its finest, this is the way of the heavier problem,

poorness. Poor can’t buy enough food since people were panicking and hoarded everything in supermarket, every market. Poor can’t pay internet fees, they need food, why bother paying internet fees since they have no gadgets and unemployed. So, how could they survive in this lockdown-pandemic situation? Keyword; Coronavirus, lock-down, gadget, internet, poor.

Introduction

Coronavirus sure is a bad pandemic, it is spreading like crazy, people got infected and soon died because of it, some may survive, but unlike the other who was ever got infected, their lungs’ performance degraded and can’t perform well even if they are cured. To prevent the spread of this virus, government told people to lock themselves down in their own house, dorm, etc. until everything has done. This lock-down includes students, teachers, workers, etc. and if they lock themselves down, they could not get paid from work.

Unlike in other countries such as Japan, German, and Italy. Indonesia was a slow country based on its government. People demanded for their survival fees, and asked government for help.

“Government is a bit slow, and late in order to provide help with social-assistance because of three causes; budget allocation, data, distribution system,” (Khadafi, Muhammad, 2020)

According to the statement above, it is true that Indonesian government was not ready to face a pandemic like Coronavirus. The budget allocation has such errors, wrong datas, and inefficient distribution system.

But, we could not blame government who was trying their best to provide people some help, it was true that Indonesian people is lack competence.

They lied about being a poor who could not buy foods, internet fees, gas, and other life-needs. People who are rich were still demanding some help from government, which is a shame.

By this problem itself, it caused Indonesian people to be more at risk in facing Coronavirus pandemic. Poor people have no life-supplies, poor students could not keep up with their study, workers are being fired due to lack of company’s profit to pay their salary.

Research Method

The method we were using is descriptive method, we will evaluate on how government’s acts, how it have to be done, and how people must react.

Discussion

Firstly, the Indonesian government’s decision over Coronavirus pandemic is highly commendable. They shut off every international and domestic entries, they closed airports, ports, stations, every land, air, and water transports. This decision will prevent people to go overseas, to other city, province, etc. and at the same time, prevent the spreading Coronavirus.

However, shutting down the airports, stations, ports, and other transports facility, caused huge impact to people who were working there.

Flight companies, airlines, could not operating. They could not send people overseas because of this decision made by government. At the same time, they cut off their employees to reduce their loss on profits. Some of flight companies may have keep their employees to get over with their works and get them paid, but most of the flight companies, fired their employees after paid their salary to reduce company’s loss. The same goes for other companies which are operated in stations, ports, etc.

“Indonesian economic condition is now at risk caused by Coronavirus. I’m afraid that companies could not get their insurance due to their loss in profit caused by Coronavirus pandemic.” (Pratama, Wibi, 2020)

According to the statement above, it is true that even insurance could get enough money to cover their client companies. It is depressing the CEOs, they could not get their work done if they could not get their insurance.

The condition of economy in Indonesia is now at risk, surely, this is caused by Coronavirus. However, the government made the next decision to face this problem; travellers are allowed to enter or land in Indonesia, as long as they have completed a Health Alert Card issued by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, which is ironic.

Ironic, because at first, they were restricting people to enter or land in Indonesia, but they found this decision was wrong because it made companies could not get their money to pay their worker’s salaries. But it is now better for the Indonesian economy, since every companies are now operating with high risk and strict rules, they are now stable.

Secondly, government decided to give poor people some of life-assistance, or in simple language, life-needs support.

“We decided to provide social help to people that are separated in two; one, regular social-assistance to outside of Jabodetabek area which provide life-needs worth Rp. 200.000,-, and two, regular life-needs to Jabodetabek area which provide life-needs worth Rp. 300.000,-.” (Batubara, Juliari, 2020)

The minister of Social Ministry of Republic of Indonesia have decided to provide life-needs to people who needs it. Because Jakarta is the capital city of Indonesia, and have the highest risk at being infected, Mr. Batubara decided to provide more life-needs to people in Jabodetabek area (Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi) with Rp. 50.000,- difference between outer Jabodetabek and Jabodetabek.

While this decision is a good decision to be made, the execution of this decision is the worst. People who handle the funds were corrupting the funds.

“Corrupted social-life support, the perpetrators Cut Off Rp.200.000,- from every family.” (Rawas, Musi, 2020)

According to the statement above, the perpetrators cut off almost 50% of the total funds that provided to every families. They were ruining the decision which government made, and brought more risk to people who needs that life-support help. However, the Corruption Eradication Commision (KPK) was able to arrest the perpetrators and secured around Rp. 3.600.000,-. Although we just state one case, there are so many cases that are the same cases like this, corrupt people corrupting support funds, and it is very unforgivable even if they were punished in 4 to 12 years of jail, according to the law constitution of corruption.

These are the decisions made by the government which are ruined by Indonesian people and Indonesian government worker.

Another problem appeared after some decisions made by the governments. Indonesian people, are denial over this Coronavirus pandemic. Some of them said that Coronavirus was only a conspiracy theory so that global elites could get more money over people who were infected.

“Coronavirus disease are just a virus that is a result of globat elites’ conspiracies which are aiming to create 5g internet mobile technology.” (Ari Astina, I Gede, 2020)

According to the statement above, Ari Astina, as well known as Jerinx, said that Coronavirus was only a mere conspiracy theory made by global elites, which is a shame to watch.

People seems to believe to what Ari Astina said, that Coronavirus is just a conspiracy, and they were talking about this over and over until more people believed to him. This is a bad matter to begin with, since people are not believe in government anymore based on their decisions that were ruined by its own people, they went outside and cancelled their lock-down act.

After hearing this conspiracy theory made by Ari Astina whose a drummer from Superman Is Dead, people were having fun going out each other, like there is no pandemic, and after this happened in March, 7th, the case of Coronavirus were increasing with 237 new cases.

(BBC Indonesia)

As we can see in the graphic above, the effect of Ari Astina’s statement of conspiracy affect so many people and made them being infected by ignoring the new rules which are made by government.

Another problem appeared right after Ari Astina’s conspiracy, that is according to the government’s rules; not getting close with anyone within 1 meter, affected to 5 religion in Indonesia; Islam, Christian, Kong Hu Chu, Hindu, and Budha.

The place of worship, mosque, cathedral, church, temple, are closed down during quarantine. And so that, people could not go to the place of worship to do prayer.

Between those 5 religions, Muslims brought a new problem.

“While we are strict on one side to face a problem, we are loose in the other side. The government still open the airports, stations, and ports, while they closed down our mosque.” (Abbas, Anwar, 2020)

This is ironic, government’s decision to keep on track in the economy sectors by allowing few international arrivals at airport caused other problem which is stated above. The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) was agreed to close down the mosque in order to prevent Coronavirus spread, but the adzan must be continued while also keep on warning people to stay at home and do the prayer inside their own home.

“While we do the prayer in our house and keep on cutting off the spreading virus, why were people go outside to the department stores, airports, shopping districs, and having fun without concerning other people?” (Abbas, Anwar, 2020)

The decision made by government which are ironic, double-edged sword alike, conspiracy theory made by Ari Astina, and people who ignores the rule. These are the problem we are facing right now in this quarantine.

Eid Al-Fitr was happened in March, 23rd made Muslim people lose their mind. Most of them keep on doing the tradition of buying new clothes for Eid Al-Fitr, and at the same time, again, ignore the rules.

“We have confirmed 526 Coronavirus infection cases after Eid Al-Fitr, 21 of them were dead, and it made our total case to 22.271 cases.” (Yuri, 2020)

The tradition of ‘new clotes in Eid Al-Fitr’ seems could not stop the people to go to department stores and buy their new clothes during the quarantine while ignored the rules government made.

Based on these problems we stated above, we, the authors, boldly state that Indonesian people habitual acts, are the worst in case of facing this quarantine.

Solutions and Conclusion

We, the authors, found that these brilliant decisions which are government made were ruined by its own people, and thus, we came up with some solutions.

First, we need to erase the corruption act by making the law of corruption, according to the constitution, to be highly strict. The more it strict, the better it would be. If the corrupt tradtion like this keep on track to the end of the era, this pandemic sure would not be ended.

Secondly, we need to establish a proper way to face this pandemic and the next pandemic. We need to train, to teach Indonesian people to secure themselves, to not believe in such conspiracies, to be more aware of this virus which is real, and would caused death.

Thirdly, according to the research done by World Culture Index Score in 2018, Indonesia was placed in 60th place over 61 others in sector of literature and reading. Again, we need to teach people to read, in a fun way which would make them easy to follow and easy to understand. We can make this as a new habit, a habit to read, to love literatures, and then, we can give more and more knowledge they are able to read.

And finally, we conclude that Indonesian people habitual act in order to face this Coronavirus the worst. They ignored the rules, they corrupted the life-needs social support, they believe in conspiracies which led them to be infected, they keep on track to the tradition of ‘new clothes’ and being infected which led 21 people to death. We are sure that if government establish the solutions we wrote in this work, may be use of help in order to end this pandemic.

Reference

Khadafi, Muhammad. 2020. https://kabar24.bisnis.com/read/20200519/15/1242629/penyaluran-bansos-lambat-begini-penjelasan-pemerintah, accessed in June, 17, 2020

Batubara, Juliari. 2020. https://finansial.bisnis.com/read/20200610/215/1250984/kerugian-bisnis-akibat-pandemi-covid-19-apakah-diproteksi-asuransi, accessed in June, 17, 2020

Rawas Musi. 2020. https://www.kompas.tv/article/84622/korupsi-dana-bantuan-pelaku-memotong-rp-200-000-dari-setiap-keluarga, accessed in June, 17, 2020

Ari Astina, I Gede. 2020. https://www.kompas.tv/article/79887/ini-kata-jerinx-soal-tudingan-konspirasi-corona

Graphic table image. 2020. https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/indonesia-51850113, accessed in June, 17, 2020

Abbas, Anwar. 2020. https://www.cnnindonesia.com/nasional/20200517114000-20-504154/ironi-corona-di-mata-mui-bandara-dibuka-masjid-ditutup, accessed in June, 17, 2020

Yuri. 2020. https://sukabumiupdate.com/detail/ragam-berita/nasional/70027-Lebaran-Pasien-Positif-Corona-RI-Tambah-526-Kasus-Jadi-22271-Orang, accessed in June, 17, 2020

https://kemlu.go.id/brussels/en/news/5271/indonesia-tawarkan-green-projects-untuk-luksemburg, accessed in June, 17, 2020

https://kemlu.go.id/brussels/en/news/6349/policies-by-the-indonesian-government-related-to-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic, accessed in June, 17, 2020