At that time, we had no policy that could immediately be implemented because we had never experienced a health crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic before. Thus, the government must really create a new precise policy to face COVID-19.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto shared the Indonesian government's experiences in handling the COVID-19 pandemic with students of Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) and the National University of Singapore (NUS).

The government must create a new policy since the health crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, had never occurred in Indonesia earlier, the minister noted in his written statement released on Tuesday.

“At that time, we had no policy that could immediately be implemented because we had never experienced a health crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic before. Thus, the government must really create a new precise policy to face COVID-19,” he remarked.

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Hartarto said at that time, the government had designed and applied the so-called “gas and brake policy” by constantly maintaining the national economic recovery efforts.

In addition, it conducted structural reform that is the third pillar in the framework of the “gas and brake” strategy, he stated.

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“I am among the people, who believe that the crisis period is the right opportunity to conduct structural reform for the domestic economy,” he affirmed.

Hartarto said he felt the difference while delivering public lectures to students from Indonesia and Singapore.

It was easier to elaborate on the COVID-19 handling strategy to Indonesian students, as they had experienced the policy in their daily activities, he stated.

However, while addressing foreign students, the minister said he had brought special missions to elaborate on the success of Indonesia, with 17 thousand islands, in distributing vaccines and medicines to the country during the pandemic.


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Translator: Muhammad Heriyanto, Suharto
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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