Rahmat Hidayat Efendi

Jakarta

The number of COVID-19 cases continues to increase rapidly in Indonesia, while some Southeast Asian neighbors are beginning to live normally and moving closer to winning the battle against the pandemic. Almost every day, Indonesia continues to peak off the chart in the region, which comes as no surprise at all. 

Taking a step back, when the pandemic began to take the world by storm, come countries were adept at tackling the pandemic, while Indonesia responded slowly and even looked reluctant to announce the current state. As a consequence, COVID-19 transmission escalated, while lax health protocols saw many adopt a terserah (whatever) attitude, as they felt frustrated by the government’s inconsistent policies.

Looking at the prolonged health crisis, we cannot dismiss the striking similarity to how the government responds to environmental problems. Indonesia’s long-standing environmental problems, such as climate change, air and water pollution and deforestation, have been placed on the back burner, putting us in a state of terserah. 

These environmental problems are no less important than COVID-19 and require an immediate response, as they may increase the risk of a future pandemic. With great aspiration, this pandemic could steer Indonesia into a green recovery, and that merits a discussion on how to address the existing environmental challenges after learning from our COVID-19 experiences.

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