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Old problem spells doom for Commission for the Elderly
Prior to its disbandment, the Komnas Lansia had been struggling to stay afloat.
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A senior citizen at the Rumoh Seujahtra Geunaseh Sayang nursing home in Banda Aceh, Aceh, poses while wearing a mask to prevent COVID-19 transmission on May 1. (Antara/Irwansyah Putra)
T
he absence of a fresh mandate appeared to be the last nail in the coffin for the Commission for the Elderly (Komnas Lansia), with the government finally deciding to dissolve the government-sanctioned body.
The commission was among 10 agencies founded by either a presidential regulation or a presidential decree that were disbanded by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo last week as part of his debureaucratization efforts.
Prior to its disbandment, the commission had been struggling to stay afloat.
Former commissioner Adhi Santika said Komnas Lansia had been brought to a virtual standstill in early 2015, particularly as President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo did not renew the expiring decree for its commissioners nor issued a new decree to appoint new commissioners.
“The last presidential decree to appoint new commissioners was issued in 2012. According to the decree, their terms ended in [late] 2014. So, technically, since 2015, Komnas Lansia did not have any commissioners,” Adhi said in a press conference on Tuesday.
Read also: Twenty-nine state bodies to be dissolved in 2021
Komnas Lansia was established by the government in 2004, two years after Indonesia signed the 2002 Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA), a global initiative aimed at tackling the issue of aging in the 21st century. The Madrid plan focuses on ensuring social protection, enabling a supportive environment for the elderly and advancing health and well-being into old age.
