Indonesia has called on fellow members of ASEAN to reinvigorate the spirit of togetherness amid the hardships of dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic in order to move forward and recover the region’s economy.
By
Luki Aulia and Cyprianus Anto Saptowalyono
·4 minutes read
TANGKAPAN LAYAR KANAL YOUTUBE SEKRETARIAT PRESIDEN
President Joko Widodo during a speech at the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit uploaded on the Presidential Secretariat Youtube channel, Monday (25/10/2021).
JAKARTA, KOMPAS—President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo called for nations to capitalize on the current momentum to revive economic performance in the region, saying that the Covid-19 pandemic should not hinder structural reforms.
"In the face of the pandemic, we must not only strive to recover, but also seek to use this opportunity to carry out structural reforms for inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the ASEAN region," the President said in Jakarta in his keynote speech at the virtually held ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) on Monday (25/10/2021).
In his speech, which was uploaded to the Foreign Ministry’s website, he pointed out that the pandemic should not be an obstacle for ASEAN to carry out structural reforms.
Indonesia had realized reform with the issuance of the Job Creation Law, which aimed to improve the investment climate.
"In fact, we are using the ordeal of handling the pandemic to strengthen ourselves in facing future challenges. I hope the same for Southeast Asia. As a unitary economic community, ASEAN must take lessons from the crisis and make fundamental improvements at the regional level," he said.
The President urged ASEAN to accelerate regional economic recovery, including establishing the region as a safe travel corridor between ASEAN member states.
Indonesia recently reopened Bali to international flights from 19 countries in an effort to reinvigorate the tourism sector. The resumption of international flights was launched after vaccination in Bali had reached 84.5 percent.
The President expressed his optimism about ASEAN’s economic recovery, given the progress in Covid-19 handling in the region, where the overall caseload had dropped 14 percent in the past week. The figure was far higher than the global average decline of 1 percent.
"With the Covid-19 situation increasingly under control, restrictions can be relaxed. We can relax mobility while ensuring safety from the risk of the pandemic," he said.
"If all ASEAN countries immediately facilitate safe human mobility, the economic wheel will start turning again," he said, adding that the region’s governments and businesspeople should ramp up efforts jointly.
The President also urged accelerated adaptation in regional economic activities for the digital economy as an effective solution to restricted mobility in economic activities.
The President envisaged ASEAN's enormous potential in the digital economy, as the region currently showed the fastest internet growth in the world.
"During the pandemic, the digital economy grew by US$100 billion as of 2020. This is a precursor to economic progress in our region," he said.
Jokowi again alluded to the challenge at hand, saying it was important to maintain public health as the priority. The short-term agenda for the region, he said, was to amplify vaccination to achieve the inoculation target of 70 percent of the region’s population.
Kompas
ASEAN Digital Economy Market Value (billion US dollars)
Eased quarantine
Covid-19 transmission in Southeast Asia is reportedly decreasing, thanks to accelerated vaccination drives.
Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand have begun to relax their requirements of 7-14 days in managed quarantine for visitors from countries categorized as low or safe in terms of Covid-19 transmission.
Malaysian authorities said last Friday that they would reopen the country’s borders to foreign workers and tourists. The move was taken after 72 percent of the country’s population had been vaccinated and daily cases fell to below 7,000.
In August, the country’s caseload peaked at more than 20,000 daily cases. Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said Malaysia would start by reopening resorts in Langkawi to foreign tourists on 15 Nov.
According to Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, President Jokowi will be attending the 38th and 39th ASEAN Summit from Monday to Thursday.
The President is also scheduled to attend the G20 Summit on 30-31 Oct. in Rome, Italy, as well as the Climate Change Summit, or COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland. (AP/AFP/REUTERS/JOS)
