Politics Without Empathy

The fight against COVID-19 will last long, especially in the country. Listen to people\'s conscience. Try to grow empathy and throw away the politics without empathy before things get worse.

ABK

Azyumardi Azra

The fight against COVID-19 will last long, especially in the country. This can be seen from the projected scenarios by a number of experts about the level and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia.

In a moderate scenario, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases would reach about 60,000 if the social and physical distancing policy is implemented with strict legal enforcement. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases could be lowered if a regional quarantine is imposed as opposed to large-scale social restrictions (PSBB).

The worst-case scenario could occur if the social and physical distancing policy is not implemented strictly or if the PSBB measures are unable to deal with undisciplined residents who continue to travel from red areas to other places. If this happens, it is estimated that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases could reach more than 2 million people.

Also read : Coronavirus and Politics

In various scenarios, pandemic charts are expected to decline in late May or early June. However, it does not mean the end of the pandemic. It is not impossible that a new wave of COVID-19 mutation will come.

Many people who are effected work in the formal sector, agriculture, plantations, industry, services and digital business.

Looking past that scenario, the number of casualties has continued to increase. These victims were not only those who died from COVID-19, but also those who were economically affected due to the coronavirus outbreak. More and more citizens are losing income due to the social and physical distancing policy.

The number further increased after the PSBB was imposed in Jakarta on Friday (10/4/2020), then followed by other regions. The number of people economically and socially affected by COVID-19 as of last week was estimated at 5.28 million people, in addition to the existing 7.05 million jobless people before the pandemic.

Also read : The Role of Religion in Facing Covid-19 :

Many people who are effected work in the formal sector, agriculture, plantations, industry, services and digital business. Some of them still receive a monthly salary. However, others no longer get salaries or will receive salaries only for the next two or three months, as announced by the Indonesian Employers Association.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

People sit shoulder to shoulder on a curb while waiting for a bus at Kalideres Terminal in West Jakarta, Tuesday (31/3/2020). Many people, especially informal workers, continue to leave Jakarta in droves using public transportation to return to their hometowns, as the Covid-19 outbreak has curtailed economic activities.

More affected residents work in the informal sector, such as motorcycle taxi drivers, taxi drivers, street vendors, farm laborers and parking attendants. They have begun to lose their income since the government implemented various restrictive policies to deal with COVID-19. Tens of millions of people who lost their livelihoods or jobs need empathy in the form of financial assistance and basic needs. They also need political empathy from public officials at the executive, legislative and judicial levels.

It is not very clear whether the limited amount of social assistance provided by the government was decided on because of the encouragement of political empathy. Perhaps, it was realized more because of the tasks that must be carried out by the relevant ministries/institutions. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of someone else.

Such empathy can be given to people who have problems, such as those related to illness, disaster, death of relatives, loss of work and various other forms of misery.

Also read : Spirituality of Coronavirus

In academic discussion, there are at least three types of empathy that are related. First, cognitive empathy, which is to understand and share the feelings of the misery of others. Second, emotional empathy, which is to understand and share the emotions of people who experience misery. Third, empathy of compassion, which encourages people to ease the burdens of those who suffer.

Admittedly, the three forms of empathy are mostly seen in society rather than in political elites. Many individuals, citizen groups, social media groups, religious communities and mass organizations, as well as companies, raise funds and donate them to various affected parties.

Also read : The Power of Solidarity

In the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, Indonesia is fortunate to have a strong philanthropic tradition. Various forms of mutual assistance (ta\'awun), mutual cooperation, and solidarity have become an integral part of the lives of Indonesian citizens from time to time. Indonesian philanthropists provide medical assistance. They also provide basic necessities and cash for residents who lose income. They mostly donate the money directly and do not distribute them on the streets, which could cause crowds.

KOMPAS/KRISTI UTAMI

Online motorcycle taxi drivers attend the launch of the Eman Lansia meal program at Tegal City Hall, Central Java, on Thursday (4/4/2020). The drivers have been tasked with delivering meals to elderly residents.

On the other hand, very few officials are willing to donate all or part of their salaries to ease the burdens of affected citizens. There is no political empathy from high-ranking officials and political elites.

Even more saddening, there is a rising trend of “politics without empathy” within the political elite and government circles. This, for example, was reflected in the attitude of the House of Representatives (DPR) and the government during a hearing on Tuesday (4/14). In the meeting, they decided to continue the deliberation of the omnibus bill on job creation, which is quite controversial.

There is no political empathy from high-ranking officials and political elites.

The absence of political empathy and empathy politics, or more precisely the strengthening of politics without empathy, has been criticized by many parties. They appealed to the House of Representatives and the government to stop discussing the controversial bill, and instead applied political empathy and empathy politics to face the COVID-19 epidemic with all its socioeconomic and political impacts.

The Kompas daily in the past weeks has sought to arouse the empathy of the DPR and other political elites; asking for the conscience and sense of crisis of members of the DPR (House factions and political parties) and the government. Check out the Kompas report entitled "It\'s Time for the DPR to Share the Feeling" (6/4); then in editorials "Time to Get Closer to the People" (9/4) and "Waiting for the Representative\'s Attitude" (14/4).

Listen to people\'s conscience. Try to grow empathy and throw away the politics without empathy before things get worse.