Singapore Grows 7.2 Percent, Indonesia Should Be Able to Too
Rome was not built overnight. It is impossible to make a modern, advanced and prosperous Indonesia for its people in an instant. In fact, a just and prosperous Indonesia is a "never-ending business".
The pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. – Winston Churchill
For almost two years, the world has been gripped with uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Hopes for a speedy recovery have now been dashed again by the emergence of the Omicron variant.
The variant, which was first detected in South Africa, is now spreading worldwide with a very high rate of transmission. The United States has even crossed the 1 million mark of people infected with the new variant.
Learning from the experience of the Delta variant, it is natural that all countries are worried. Precautionary measures were immediately taken by reimposing restrictions on the entry and exit of people from abroad. Indonesia is no exception. It requires everyone who comes from abroad to undergo quarantine. In fact, for countries with a high number of cases, there is a temporary ban on entry into Indonesian territory.
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo asked not to give dispensation to anyone who had just returned from abroad. All must undergo quarantine—no interaction with other people for 7-10 days from arrival—until it is confirmed that the PCR test result on the last day is negative.
Everyone has to obey that order because the safety of all citizens is our shared responsibility. If one person is not disciplined and then becomes a carrier, all citizens will experience the consequences. One thing that makes us a little more relieved is that Omicron has a lower mortality rate than other variants. Although it spreads more quickly, the infection it causes doesn't damage the lungs like Delta does. As a result, there is no need for ventilators for those infected with Omicron.
In addition, not many people who are infected require hospital treatment. The New York Times reported that the number of people who needed to be hospitalized was just a third of that of people infected with the Delta variant.
The "masks and vaccine" campaign as conducted by the Covid-19 task force is the right step to always remind the public about the need to protect themselves against Omicron.
Given such facts, the government of Singapore, for example, is more confident in dealing with the Omicron variant. Although the number of infected people has exceeded 2,000 people, the number of hospital beds used is only about 7 percent. Therefore, those who are infected are allowed to undergo self-treatment at home as long as there are no severe symptoms.
The key to dealing with Omicron is vaccination. Everyone is required to undergo vaccination in order to have more immunity when infected with the Omicron variant. The second thing that must be done is to wear a mask when outside the house. The "masks and vaccine" campaign as conducted by the Covid-19 task force is the right step to always remind the public about the need to protect themselves against Omicron.
Living with Omicron
By better understanding the character of the Omicron variant virus, every country should try to live with Omicron because it is impossible for us to continue to be overshadowed by fear, let alone to choose to isolate ourselves. In the end, life must continue and everyone must be able to adapt to the conditions of this pandemic.
The current restrictions should be used as an opportunity to create a new standard procedure. Standard procedures must be adjusted with the conditions of each country, especially considering the national resilience it has and the existing health systems. All policies must be carried out dynamically, where a balance between health and economic factors must be considered.
Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once noted the difference between a pessimist and an optimist. Pessimists always see opportunities as difficulties. On the other hand, optimists see every difficulty as an opportunity.
Singapore is an example of a country that never wants to be immersed in problems. The Covid-19 pandemic has certainly hit the Lion City. It had to use its national savings belonging to future generations to save lives in the country today. More than 100 billion Singapore dollars were used to provide economic stimulation. In various ways, Singapore is trying to find a way out of trouble. The government provides financial assistance to every citizen. In fact, the government stepped in to pay the salaries of employees to prevent layoffs.
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The result of hard work for almost two years is not fruitless. Singapore's economic growth in 2021 is higher than forecast. Although the official figures have not yet been released, the growth figure is estimated at 7.2 percent. This is the highest in the last 10 years.
The high growth rate was not only caused by very high growth in the second quarter, but throughout last year, Singapore's economic growth moved positively. In fact, in the fourth quarter, when the Omicron variant began to emerge, Singapore's economy was still able to grow by 5.9 percent.
In terms of economic sectors, almost all sectors grew significantly. Especially the construction sector, which grew the fastest. The property sector even saw a boom where prices rose very sharply. The government even dared to increase the property sales tax because the demand was so high.
Alert without fear
With economic and social capital that is far more extraordinary, Indonesia should not lose to Singapore. Not only does Indonesia have much more abundant natural resources, it also has a very large domestic market. When opening the first trading day of 2022 at the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX), President Jokowi said the consumer and investment confidence index was already higher than before the pandemic.
Now all it takes is confidence and the courage to execute. Of course, the bad experience in July and August when the Delta variant hit Indonesia traumatized us. But do not let it cause excessive fear.
Indonesian people must learn from last year's bad experience. We need to immediately fix the weaknesses of the existing system. That experience should create self-awareness, not fear. Don't forget that the Indonesian people have a high goal, namely that on the 100th anniversary of Indonesia's declaration of independence in 2045, we want to have achieved a “Golden Indonesia”. President Jokowi described Golden Indonesia as an Indonesia that is no longer in the trap of middle-income countries. The country’s gross domestic product would, according to the goal, reach US$7 trillion and per capita income would be $25,000.
This target is not actually too grandiose. If Indonesia can grow an average of 6 percent per year, the target will be achieved. The problem then lies in the prerequisites that must be met.
Consistency in the development process is needed because, in the end, the system needs people and people need the system in order to achieve a better future.
First, it takes confidence from the whole community. We must immediately rise from the Covid-19 pandemic. After that, we must leave the attitude of blaming each other and always complaining. The Indonesian people must get out of the trap of being a "blaming and complaining society" as it is today. Insofar as there are many things that still need to be addressed and criticized, of course, please do.
In the era of democracy, freedom of expression is justified. However, do not think this nation does not have ability or that there are no positive things at all. If everything is considered wrong and there are no right things, we will become a nation that has never had self-confidence. Without self-confidence, we will never become a great nation. Only with self-confidence will the Indonesian people will be able to be more creative and able to build an economy that has high added value. Singapore, which does not have natural resources, can shoot high because it is able to produce high value-added products.
Second, the weakness that we have had during the 76 years of independence is that we have not been able to build strong institutions. We must continue to strengthen the institutionalization process so that the existing institutions will be more professional and in accordance with the rules of governance, which apply globally. The process of building this institution requires patience.
Don't be too quick to yell at the system or blame it for mistakes or be too quick to remodel, abolish or even replace it with a new one. Consistency in the development process is needed because, in the end, the system needs people and people need the system in order to achieve a better future.
Rome was not built overnight. It is impossible to make a modern, advanced and prosperous Indonesia for its people in an instant. In fact, a just and prosperous Indonesia is a "never-ending business". The most important thing is that this nation should never lose hope and never stop loving Indonesia.
Suryopratomo, Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore
This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswo.