Indonesian Govt Criticized for Late Issuance of Holiday Regulations

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Jakarta's business community has asked the Indonesian government to not issue year-end holiday regulations at the last minute in the future.

Sarman Simanjorang, Chairman of the Indigenous Indonesian Entrepreneurs Association’s (HIPPI) Jakarta branch, made the request, stating that an early issuance of travel regulations would provide travelers and Indonesia’s business community more time to prepare.

“In the future, the government must issue holiday regulations in advance in order for the public and businesses to anticipate certain measures ahead of time.”

Sarman used the example of long queues forming at airports after the government made it compulsory for airline passengers to take a rapid antigen test.

Read also: 7 Airports in Indonesia Offer Rapid Antigen Covid-19 Tests

He argued that queues exacerbate the transmission of the virus, potentially turning it into new clusters rather than mitigating the novel virus.

Sarman shared that the Christmas and New Year’s holiday gave hope to Indonesia’s business community, as it could bring in profit after nearly 10 months of cashflow problems.

This time around, business owners across the archipelago are cautiously optimistic given the gradual rise in fresh Covid-19 cases.

Simialar to the Indonesian government, Sarman hopes that the public will continue to abide by health protocols to get the coronavirus epidemic under control.

Read also: Rapid Antigen Tests at Train Stations in Indonesia

Although the national economy may not rebound as was originally anticipated, the year-end holiday will likely still positively contribute to the economy.

“The impact of the Christmas and New Year’s holiday will boost the performance of the national economy in the fourth quarter.”

(Writer: Singgih Wiryono | Editor: Jessi Carina)

Source: https://megapolitan.kompas.com/read/2020/12/22/22425121/singgung-antrean-panjang-di-bandara-pengusaha-minta-pemerintah-tak-bikin