COVID-19 Mayhem: Will Indonesia Be the Next India?
Idulfitri is approaching. Indonesian muslims seem to not care about prohibition of 'mudik'.
When a government is frustrated, guess who is even more frustrated than them?
Us. You. Me.
We’re laypeople. Citizens. Folks.
A group of people who politicians care about during elections but instantly forget right after.
Everyone in Indonesia has experienced some sort of Covid-19 fatigue.
We’re tired - extremely - of this pandemic.
We’re drained, saddened, lost, disoriented and chained.
A epidemiologist insists that citizens without exception must stay at home during Idulfitri until the pandemic is completely tackled.
He criticized that this is thanks to the ‘balanced’ approach of the Indonesia government that focuses both on health and economy recovery.
This is not balanced. This is a ridiculous approach that won’t end the pandemic soon.
But you can tell this silly attitude and ways of thinking from the prominent public officials whose names I won’t mention here. They publicly break the rules and people’s heart for making insensitive statements.
But on the other hand, citizens are also bored to death at home, staring at computer or smartphone screens (if they’re wealthy enough). They cannot tolerate another Idulfitri not seeing their family members. They are rebelious as f*ck.
India is currently having its hell breaking loose. Millions of new cases and death tolls are reported after a considerable slump, which they thought to be an achievement. But what seemed to be an attainment turns to be a calm day right before a rough stormy day.
So when I read this message from my relative whether I will go home this Idulfitri, I made my mind. I said I wouldn’t. Most probably I’ll go home after I get vaccinated twice.
But most people don’t want to understand that the pandemic is not over yet. It’s been a year since the pandemic hit the country but not everyone is convinced about the danger of Covid-19. That may not be the case of Covid-19 is more lethal like Ebola or AIDS. But this virus is picky and random when it come to killing humans.
When doctors, scientists, and epidemiologists argue that we should stay at home and wear masks outside, some of us also argue that seeing other people especially family members on Idulfitri also improves our immunity which helps us survive the virus attack.
These people always have reasons and logic that justify their actions or choice.
But that’s just not them. It’s so humane. It’s part of our character.
Now the Indonesia government takes a precautionary measure to prevent from going home and seeing each other on Idulfitri.
But there is some resistance among citizens. They of course have planned their own escape through many unthinkable ways. Last year, I heard some people managed to leave Jakarta by an ambulance.
But whatever will happen, come what may.
If this Idulfitri will end tragically with a lot more death tolls, then let this be a big lesson for this pigheaded nation.
In the meantime, protect yourself until the end of pandemic.
Health and peace,
Akhlis
"the ‘balanced’ approach of the Indonesia government that focuses both on health and economy recovery...is not balanced. This is a ridiculous approach that won’t end the pandemic soon."
Setuju. Yang diutamakan terus2 adalah kesehatan ekonomi, terus itu dan kesehatan sosial terdampak karena iya...that's how a pandemic works. =/
Yang menyedihkan sekali adalah, Indonesia masih menolokan kedatangan orang asing, termasuk yg sudah tervaksinasi, namun perjalanan inter-pulau dan inter-kota masih diperbolehkan, malah heavy discounts. While global capitalism is unfair and brutal, if there wasss an argument for a "balanced approach," it would probably be to let people who can verify antibody positivity to come spend in Dollars and Euro.
In the meanwhile, big phalanxes of Chinese and Indian people will keep magically getting KITAS, and government officials and journalists will keep magically not asking/declaring who their sponsor is, where they will be working, or what "project of strategic national importance" they are helping with.
Sure, I'm biased, or speaking from my perspective: it would be nice to help my sponsor/affiliate university maintain their accreditation status, which requires a foreign speaker. And it would be nice to inhabit the room that has been waiting for me for over a year now to write my dissertation, instead of being bounced from place to place in a country I did not have a plan to be in after May 2020. I've helped them find an agent and we are again, for a third time, working through layers of bureaucracy yg bikin keselll banget as we watch random folks somehow magically getting in (sogok siapa ya?). Sayangnya, I bet DirJen Imigrasi will close visa services to foreigners yet again after pemudikan...always easier to foster the appearance of safety by closing borders than proactively attending to domestic travel incentives. =,(
Miss ya A!