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Independence Day celebration dulled by COVID-19
Indonesia reported 1,821 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing its infection total to 141,370, data from the government's coronavirus task force show.
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While the country celebrated its independence day on Monday, it added 57 new deaths, taking its fatalities to 6,207, the highest COVID-19 death toll in Southeast Asia. (Antara/Aprillio Akbar)
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ndonesia celebrated 75 years of independence in a somber mood on Monday, with many deciding to pull back from the usual ritual of flag-hoisting ceremonies and pole-climbing competitions as COVID-19 continued to spread, a crisis that one historian deemed could be one of the worse the country had faced in its modern history.
Indonesia reported 1,821 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing its infection total to 141,370, data from the government's coronavirus task force show.
While the country celebrated its independence day on Monday, it added 57 new deaths, taking its fatalities to 6,207, the highest COVID-19 death toll in Southeast Asia.
Due to the coronavirus, the State Palace imposed health protocols to prevent COVID-19 transmission, resulting in only a handful of officials and dignitaries being able to attend a flag-hoisting ceremony, a radical departure from the usual hustle and bustle of the annual celebration. Social distancing measures also prompted a reduction in the number of members of the flag bearer team, which was cut to only eight from the usual 68.
The Presidential Palace said the number of attendees at the ceremony had been cut to only 34, including 14 dignitaries invited to join the occasion.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo continued his tradition of donning traditional attire, this time he picked a traditional East Nusa Tenggara shirt embroidered with a nunkòlo motif that symbolizes national unity. He was joined on stage by First Lady Iriana, Vice President Ma’ruf Amin and Second Lady Wury Estu Handayani.
People’s Consultative Assembly Speaker Bambang Soesatyo, House of Representatives Speaker Puan Maharani and Religious Affairs Minister Fachrul Razi were among the officials joining President Jokowi at the flag-hoisting ceremony, while most of the other guests joined the event online.
Former high-ranking officials, including chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Megawati Soekarnoputri, Jusuf Kalla, Try Sutrisno and Boediono, all former vice presidents, joined the ceremony separately via video conference.
Read also: Greater Jakarta residents find ways to mark Independence Day despite COVID-19
Senior Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) historian Asvi Warman Adam said the current pandemic could rank as one of the worst crises the country had faced since the country declared independence 75 years ago.
Asvi, however, was optimistic the country would be able to pull through just like it had overcome numerous challenges in the past, which included numerous secession rebellions soon after the country declared independence in 1945, and the 1998 financial crisis.
The LIPI historian said the country could learn from the country's founding president Soekarno, who could show optimism even during the darkest day of the republic. “I always remember the speech Soekarno delivered on Aug. 17, 1946, one year after he declared independence. He said that despite so many difficulties, he was convinced that we could eventually overcome it,” Asvi told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
"We have gone through the 1965 coup, Permesta rebellion, the Islamic State (DI/TII) rebellion, and we managed to overcome them. This too shall pass. We hope the death toll will not be as high as that of other countries, and that the economy recovers quickly," Asvi said.
Economist Mohammad Faisal said the COVID-19 pandemic could serve as a crucial test for the country, one that could determine whether it could make a big leap toward becoming a high-income country.
Faisal said that with the current pandemic, which continued to ravage the economy, the window of opportunity for Indonesia to catch up with other countries in the region in terms of economic growth would be narrowing.
It did not help that the pandemic came at a crucial point for Indonesia as it positions itself to take advantage of the upcoming demographic bonus – defined as a period when a country’s productive population (aged 15 to 64) outnumbers its nonproductive population (aged below 15 and over 64).
Such a demographic dividend could be crucial to make the big leap to being a high-income country, Faisal said. “If in the next 20 years we fail to make maximum efforts, it would become harder [to reach high-income status] due to a reduction in productive population and an increase in the dependency ratio.”
Read also: Residents in Indonesia hold festivities to celebrate Independence Day despite ban
Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has expressed optimism that despite the current pandemic, Indonesians should take pride from the fact that the country has become the largest economy in Southeast Asia and that it has risen to become a member of the G20.
Yudhoyono said that in the face of the twin public health and economic crisis, the country needed to remain united.
"We have to stay united and optimistic because the storm will eventually pass,” Yudhoyono said.
Former vice president Try Sutrisno, meanwhile, emphasized that the sense of patriotism could be useful to energize the people to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The sense of patriotism needs to be cultivated even though currently we are not confronting real enemies. Our enemies now are invisible, such as poverty [and] COVID-19,” said Try. “We need to work together so that welfare can be distributed more equitably [among the people].”
