A series of events over the last few months seem to be warning us that the COVID-19 pandemic is getting out of control.

The celebratory parade of the Jakmania soccer fan club, the crowds at Tanah Abang Market, the relentless attempts of our filial citizens to return home despite the ban on mudik (exodus), the used antigen test kit scandal, the false PCR test results, the 2,090 travelers with COVID-19 who arrived at Soekarno-Hatta airport armed with negative test results, the COVID-19 relief aid corruption scandal and the quarantine breach by travelers from India are just a few of them.

Similar incidents are occurring everywhere, and it matters less that some of these scandals are being widely reported by the global media. What matters more is how we are handling the situation. To quote a famous Stoic philosopher: “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”

What we do next will show where we stand in mankind’s fight against a common enemy. The details may vary, but we believe our country’s response to the recent scandals must adhere to a set of fundamental principles.

First, actions have consequences. Say that we have a 10-year-old at home, and we catch him eating sweets after midnight, which we had clearly told him not to do. However, since it is his first time, we simply scold him and then send him back to bed.

What is most likely to happen next? You will catch him doing the same thing again, because his first “violation” did not result in any negative consequences for him. So he will just try again, but this time in a smarter way so no one finds out. This is analogous to the mudik ban. “All roads lead to Rome”, as it’s said, and if we fail at trying one way, nothing is stopping us from trying another. We have heard of others who have made their way home, despite the government ban.

A similar analogy applies to the used test kits, breaching the mandatory quarantine and other incidents, but these are much more serious and cannot be compared to stealing sweets. The consequences of these improper and unlawful actions must be delivered quickly and announced widely to discourage similar actions in the future.

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