More People Fall Victim If Govt Keeps Denying Covid-19 Emergency State: Observer

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) Chairperson Asfinawati opined that the government has consistently denied the chaos in handling the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia. She responded to the statement of Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Panjaitan (LBP) that the pandemic handling is under control.

“Pak LBP denies it, saying that the Covid handling is just fine. About the chaotic vaccine implementation and others, I think this chaos occurs because [the government] does not acknowledge the data and the voices of the public,” Asfinawati said in a virtual press conference on Monday, July 12.

According to her, there would be more victims if the government continued to deny the current state of emergency. She argued the current real condition is that people are struggling to get oxygen, health services, and vaccines.

“That's the reality of people's lives. If this is denied, then we don't have a government anymore, this is a failed government,” she said.

Previously, Luhut Binsar Panjaitan claimed that the Covid-19 handling had been under control for 10 days after the emergency state of public mobility restriction or Emergency PPKM in Java-Bali was enforced. He claimed that everything was under control in terms of the availability of medicines, oxygen, and hospital beds.

“People who say that this is not under control, they can come to me, I will show them directly that this is under control,” said Luhut in an online press conference on Monday, July 12.

Read: Delta Variant Hits 9 Indonesian Provinces, Spreads Faster: Health Minister

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