Jakarta
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has appointed Army chief of staff Gen. Andika Perkasa as the deputy head of the government’s COVID-19 mitigation and national economic recovery committee. The four-star army general will work alongside State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir, who was appointed to helm the committee. Erick said Jokowi had appointed Andika to assist him because the President thought the Indonesian Military (TNI) should be involved in handling the pandemic. The military would work to discipline the public in adhering to the strict health protocol, he added. “Disciplining the public is the key to public safety, but that doesn’t mean we will punish them,” Erick said on Friday, as quoted by kompas.com. The minister added the TNI would also help ensure the vaccination process once a coronavirus vaccine was ready fo...