Handling the Covid-19 Pandemic Depends on Leadership

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Former President of the Republic of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ( SBY ) assessed that the leadership factor is one of the determining factors for the success of handling Covid-19 . He saw this from the case of handling a pandemic in a foreign country. SBY conveyed this when asked about the handling of the covid-19 when the 2020 Pilkada Simultaneously was held in the middle of a pandemic.

He said in a special interview with CNN Indonesia TV, what I follow around the world, the management and leadership factors of the government including the local government determine the success in dealing with Covid-19. For this reason, he advised the public to be observant in determining the choice of a regional head pair in the 2020 regional elections. According to him, the public must pay attention to the ability of regional heads to overcome the corona pandemic. This was done with the assumption that the pandemic would continue into next year. With this, the role of governors, regents and mayors in the coming period will be very decisive in controlling outbreaks in the area.

He said, the people must also know whether [the pair of regional heads] are serious about paying attention to the handling of Covid-19 before making a choice.

SBY also suggested to the General Election Commission in the regions to test the provisions and plans of regional head candidate pairs in dealing with the pandemic and recovering the pandemic. The 2020 Pilkada will be held simultaneously in 270 regions on December 9, 2020. Even in the midst of a pandemic, the KPU has decided that the Pilkada will continue with health protocols.

President Jokowi also said that the 2020 simultaneous regional elections must continue to be carried out considering that no one can guarantee when the pandemic will end. However, the pilkada must be accompanied by strict health protocols.