Indonesian Government Criticized for Prioritizing Economy Over Human Rights

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The Indonesian government received harsh criticism from the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) for prioritizing the national economy over human rights in managing the coronavirus pandemic.

“The government, if I may criticize, prioritized the economic perspective compared to human rights perspective in their management of the coronavirus pandemic,” Komnas Perempuan’s Bahrul Fuad said at an online discussion on ‘Fulfilling the Rights of Senior Citizens and People with Disabilities in the New Normal Era’ on July 7.

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Bahrul believes that aside from not giving importance to human rights, the government does not have a clear priority as it navigates through the pandemic.

Prioritizing vulnerable groups during the country’s Covid-19 management process has not been evident, according to Bahrul.

“The priority isn’t clear.”  

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Previously, President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo said that the state of the Indonesian economy due the coronavirus pandemic is far worse than the 1998 Asian financial crisis.

During an event with a number of retired Indonesians on June 19, the Indonesian President said that during the Asian financial crisis, the ones hit hardest were the banking sector and conglomerates.

However, the coronavirus pandemic has affected all sectors and economic classes.

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“Now, everyone is affected. Production, supply, and demand have all been impacted by the pandemic. So has micro, small, medium, and large enterprises,” said Jokowi.

Jokowi added that the Indonesian economy will be hardest hit during the second quarter of 2020 where economic growth is predicted to hit negative territory.

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However, Jokowi said that the government will not sit back amid these tough economic conditions.