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New hope for Jakarta
Jakarta remains the country’s epicenter of the pandemic and addressing the city’s health crisis will significantly help the country win the battle against COVID-19.
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Gerindra Party politician Ahmad Riza Patria (in white) wears a mask during his inauguration as Jakarta Deputy Governor at the State Palace on Wednesday, April 15, 2020. (Presidential Press Bureau/Muchlis Jr)
T
he inauguration of new Jakarta Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria has come at a crucial time as the capital grapples with COVID-19, which threatens the lives and wellbeing of the city’s inhabitants as well as the economy.
As the second in command, Riza is expected to fill the gaps Governor Anies Baswedan could not cover when he ran the city’s response to the pandemic solo. Riza has little time to learn the ropes, in particular how the Jakarta bureaucracy works, but as a seasoned politician he should have no difficulties adapting to the new environment.
The support Riza received from the majority of city councillors in the race for the deputy governor post earlier this month is a valuable asset he can make full use of to help Anies run an effective government in this time of crisis. Certainly, the two should agree on a clear division of labor to avoid overlap, policy flips flops and the wasting time, money and energy, which will slow, if not undermine, measures to deal with the pandemic and its repercussions.
Specifically, in the battle against COVID-19, while Anies can focus on extremely challenging efforts to contain the virus, Riza can devote himself to mitigating the impacts of the pandemic on the capital’s residents, especially the vulnerable, and its economy. Many have advised Riza to accelerate the distribution of social assistance to the needy.
The Jakarta administration has registered 1.2 million eligible families to receive social aid packages, consisting of rice, canned fish, cooking oil, biscuits, cloth masks and soap. However, there are reports of poor families missing from the list, and wealthy ones being registered as recipients. It is the responsibility of the city government to make sure the aid reaches the right people.
Riza has raised the possibility of the city administration providing cash transfers to people hit hardest by the crisis, although the city’s social services agency head, Irmansyah, has stated otherwise. Whichever decision is eventually taken, the provincial budget must be used in an accountable, transparent and prudent manner.
The ongoing large-scale social restrictions in Jakarta will end Friday, but with the health crisis showing no signs of abating, Anies may have to extend the policy, which will prolong people’s financial hardships. Many more will face loses of income as they are forced to stay at home, struggling to support themselves and their families with whatever savings they have.
But for the good of all Jakartans, as well as the country as a whole, restrictions, if not a lockdown, are necessary to flatten the curve of virus transmission. Jakarta remains the country’s epicenter of the pandemic and addressing the city’s health crisis will significantly help the country win the battle against COVID-19.
To deal with the outbreak, the Jakarta administration and the central government must work together, rather than squabbling with each other. In this regard, Riza can act as a bridge between the two as he belongs to the Gerindra Party, which is now part of the ruling coalition.
Cooperation, not collision, must prevail in this time of crisis.
