TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab has urged the central Indonesian Government to look to Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan’s efforts in curbing the COVID-19 outbreak.

“(I) appreciate the steps done to anticipate as well as efforts done to prevent the spread of the coronavirus done by the Jakarta Governor,” Rizieq said as quoted from the FPI declaration sent by FPI General Secretary, Munarman, to Tempo on Wednesday, March 18, 2020.

Rizieq, who signed the FPI declaration made on March 15, has asked the central government to imitate Anies's steps in dealing with COVID-19 in Jakarta as a model of handling the outbreak throughout Indonesia.

More specifically, in handling the COVID-19 outbreak, Anies has temporarily suspended school activities starting from March 16, while also postponing the National Examination indefinitely, until the situation is conducive.

On top of that, the Jakarta Government has also published a map of the Capital region, with marked locations indicating a history of COVID-19 positive cases.

FPI deplored the central government which has been slow in handling the spread of the virus. They assessed that at the beginning of the outbreak, the central government seemed to belittle and hide information related to the coronavirus.

M ROSSENO AJI | DIO SUHENDA (INTERN TRANSLATOR)