Once upon a time, Indonesia prided itself on not having a single case of COVID-19 in the country amid the global pandemic. In February, after the test results for 134 suspected COVID-19 cases came back negative, the Health Minister said the absence of the virus in the country was a blessing from God.
On March 2, however, the first two cases were confirmed in Jakarta. On March 4, two people in Batam—who had been in a close contact with a confirmed case from Singapore—fled the quarantine. They escaped from the hospital because they were afraid of losing their income from working as an online ojek (motorbike “taxi”) driver.
What they did (risking public health) might sound selfish but, in Indonesia, many people must work on a daily basis to earn some money. I disagreed with what those people did, but I understand their concerns. Online ojek was once a lucrative freelance job that many have made their full-time vocation, but the pandemic has changed those prospects. As the number of people traveling around decreases, so does the prospect of earning for these drivers.
The pandemic doesn’t only affect ojek drivers. From March 30 to April 4, as many as 3,348 companies in Jakarta laid off 30,137 workers. In Central Java’s Surakarta, a construction worker had to live on the street with his wife and a 13 month old baby, just a month after he lost his job due to a COVID-19 layoff. This man has received help and now lives in a rented room (kos), but his story gives us a glimpse into how long a low-skilled worker can survive without a job. And we have many of them.
According to Indonesia’s Statistics Center’s (BPS) report in 2018, about 34 percent of young Indonesians (aged 16 to 30) worked as production staff, operators, and hard-labor workers. This type of job topped the list, while only 8% worked as professionals and technicians.
This is partly because most “professional” jobs require a college degree. Only 9% of young Indonesians held a higher-education diploma. Compare this to 68% of young Indonesians who graduated from high schools (36% from senior high school and 32% from junior high school).
Since April 10, the Large-Scale Social Restriction (PSBB) has been applied to curb the spread of the virus. In general, PSBB is not a national lockdown where everyone is strictly banned from leaving the house. It’s a more of a semi-lockdown where people are encouraged to stay at home. The exact application of PSBB may vary from one region to another, but the Central Government has made a list of guidance, which includes a temporary closing of schools and non-essential businesses and a restriction on public transportation.
Health wise, this not-so-restrictive curbing technique may be ineffective. But this is done amid concerns that a total lockdown may lead to poverty or riots. Looking back at what happened during 1998’s Asian economic crisis, this fear is valid.
High-skilled workers may be able to adjust to the “new normal”, but low-skilled workers may not. Staying at home is not something the latter group can afford. Not because they don’t care about their health, but because not working often means there’s nothing to eat. Staying at home may protect them from the virus, but not from starvation.
Fishers in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) have reported a decline in fish production due to rough seas. Now, they have to deal with the headache of distribution problems. An NGO in the province stated that the distribution problems have led the price to decrease by 50 to 75 percent. In East Java, the number of fish exports was reported to decline by up to 70% since February this year.
The socio-economic concerns caused by the pandemic have made the central government to consider easing the restrictions. However, a huge increase of new cases this week apparently has made them change their mind. Having extended the restriction period few times before, the Jakarta Governor mentioned this would be the last time he did. It wasn’t clear what he would do if the number of confirmed cases continued to soar.
Medical workers in the country have voiced their concerns about people not obeying the restrictions. Just weeks ago, they posted a stay-at-home campaign on their social media accounts. This week, they posted “Whatever, Indonesia. Do what you want to do.”
I can understand their frustration. They’ve worked hard to help the nation battle the virus. Some of them were kicked out of their apartments due to the neighbors’ fear that they might infect them. Some of their colleagues died from being infected.
But, as I said earlier, as much as staying at home is the best method, some people cannot afford to stay at home for too long. This factor should be taken into consideration. The government’s stipend may help them a little, but this is a temporary solution as it’s only for a short period of time. We haven’t found a sure method to flatten the curve that doesn’t put people at risk of economic hardship or lead the country to the brink of bankruptcy.
Those who want us to stay at home and those who want us to get back to work soon—I think both parties have a valid concern.
I’d prefer the government to ease the restrictions but they should enforce the social-distancing policy. The use of masks should be made obligatory. They should bombard us with public ads explaining, in simple words, why we need to wear a mask and wash our hands frequently. It might as well include how to wear a mask correctly, so nobody wears it under their nostrils.
Dying of a virus is tragic, but dying from starvation is embarrassing. I’m worried that people would rather steal and rob than letting hunger kill them. And violence scares me more than the virus. Letting people work during a pandemic may not be the best solution there is, but if working is the only thing that could save people from hunger and poverty (which may lead to social unrest), we might as well let them work. However, it should be done in the safest way possible, so as to minimize the risk of them getting infected and spreading the disease. Clear guidelines on how to do things must be announced and enforced.
Ramadan is ending and we have celebrated Eid this week. Beforehand, through the musholla’s loudspeaker, I could hear a call for zakat, i.e. a staple food donation that’s paid before Eid. In Indonesia, one pays zakat with 2.5 kg of rice or money the price of 2.5 kg of rice. The rice was distributed to poor people in the morning of Eid. It’s mandatory for those who can afford it.
This collective donation may not be able to fully relieve the burden of the pandemic, but I think, vulnerable people will appreciate it more during the time of crisis. It will also help us as a community to stay close and ease any tension that might have built up during this trying time together.
Image credit: Orna Wachman