Luhut Pandjaitan Speaks Bluntly on Emergency Policies, Lockdown

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan was blunt about what President Jokowi mentioned in recent days regarding the large-scale social restriction, health quarantine, and civil emergency. 

The aforementioned policies were proposed by the president in preparation for a coronavirus pandemic worst-case scenario. 

According to Minister Luhut, the term ‘lockdown’ is effectively non-existent in the country’s Constitution. He also argued that lockdowns imposed in a number of countries have shown less-than-desirable results. 

“Only China relatively succeeded [in imposing a lockdown]. Each country has its own model. Don’t be too quick to judge by giving inadequate comments,” said Luhut Pandjaitan in a video on Tuesday, March 31. 

He claimed the government will soon finalize the necessary emergency regulations that will meet the public’s needs. “But I am certain that it will all be completed before the end of this week,” said the minister. 

President Jokowi, Luhut went on, is in no rush to make a decision that has yet been applied in the country as the coronavirus pandemic is not specifically classified in the Constitution.

The talk about civil emergency was first mentioned by the president in opening the virtual meeting with the COVID-19 task force on Monday, March 30, as a policy to accompany existing emergency policies. 

EKO WAHYUDI l EGY ADIYATMA