Govt's Varying Covid-19 Rules Fit Einstein's Definition of Insanity: Expert

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - University of Indonesia (UI) senior economist Faisal Basri criticized the government’s latest plan that will once again change Covid-19 public restriction from ‘emergency PPKM’ to level-based categories ranging from 1 to 4. 

This plan was announced in a television news interview on Tuesday by the coordinator of the emergency PPKM, who also holds the position as the Maritime Affairs and Investment Coordinating Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan. 

“If everything goes well, we will not be using [the term] emergency PPKM but use level one to four,” said the coordinating minister on July 20 in an interview with Kompas TV.

The leveling classification places level 4 equal to the current emergency PPKM, which Pandjaitan claims has seen significant improvements and cited that both Java and Bali islands saw regions that were categorized as level 4 reduced to level 3 and 2. 

In response, the senior economist does not agree with the government’s decision to introduce new acronyms everytime a new Covid-19 restriction is introduced. The Twitter-savy expert went on social media to voice his concern.

“Why don’t they give up selling new terminologies? Continue doing the same thing over again while expecting different results,” he tweeted on July 21. “According to Einstein it is a form of insanity.”

The Indonesian government has officially extended the emergency PPKM until July 25, which was initially scheduled to end on July 20. 

Read also: Dissecting Jokowi's Flattening Covid-19 Curve Claim

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