TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
'We must care more for each other': Jokowi calls for cooperation in fight against COVID-19
“We must show that during our stay at home we don’t become more individualistic but instead we care more for each other,” President Jokowi said.
Change Size
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo attends a virtual ASEAN Plus Three Summit meeting at the Presidential Palace on April 14. (Antara/Biro Pers - Lukas)
P
resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has said that gotong royong (mutual cooperation) will help residents to navigate the COVID-19 crisis and called on members of the public to maintain discipline in fighting the viral disease.
“Actions of solidarity affirm the greatness of Indonesia as a nation that [upholds] gotong royong, a nation that always find strengths and local solutions amid various crises,” the President said in a televised address published on the Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube channel on Saturday afternoon.
Citing an example of residents who helped their neighbors, he talked about purchases of local products, which he said must be promoted to serve as inspiration in these difficult times.
“We must show that during our stay at home we don’t become more individualistic but instead we must care more for each other,” he said.
Read also: In major policy shift, Jokowi orders transparency in pandemic fight
Jokowi urged local administrations to conduct more lab tests and be more aggressive in contact tracing, in addition to stressing the importance of aid distribution to those who are infected.
“The government cannot work alone. We can’t. The participation of all parts of society is really important. I know it is not easy but I believe we will become a stronger nation if we can get through these challenges,” the President said.
He further advised the public to maintain discipline given that there were no cures for the pandemic, which has affected at least 213 countries.
Indonesia's coronavirus tally surpassed those of other Southeast Asian countries on Saturday with 6,248 confirmed cases and 535 fatalities.
