Optimism in the New Year

By the end of 2022 on Friday (30/12/2022), President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo announced the revocation of the policy on social activity restrictions.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Residents' activities around the Hotel Indonesia roundabout, Central Jakarta, Friday (30/12/2022). President Joko Widodo revoked the implementation of restrictions on community activities (PPKM).

President Jokowi confirmed the annulment of the social activity restrictions (PPKM) policy after consideration on the basis of data. The PPKM revocation does not mean that the COVID-19 pandemic in the country is over. The government has not yet canceled the status of health emergency, but public crowding and mobility are no longer restricted.

With the PPKM revocation, the responsibility for protection from possible exposure to COVID-19 is now fully in the hands of residents. Government intervention is increasingly minimum. The public is also asked to remain cautious and alert.

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This government policy on the one hand can be understood as an answer to the public tiredness after facing the pandemic for more than two years. On the other hand, the PPKM annulment also reflects President Jokowi’s optimism about next year, in which the nation’s situation will be improved, especially in terms of managing health affairs.

Mens sana in corpore sano, a sound mind in a sound body. A nation with a sound mind and a sound body will definitely be able to undertake efforts and build the country in an appropriate manner. As the economy is growing, democracy in Indonesia will also be thriving. This optimism is also described by the Indonesian diaspora from various parts of the world in welcoming the year 2023, as reported by this daily (Kompas, 30/12/2022).

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Construction of a high-rise building in Jakarta, Monday (12/12/2022). Amid the shadow of a global economic recession in 2023, the government is optimistic that the national economy will be able to grow by 5.3 percent.

Previously, in the Kompas100 CEO Forum at the State Palace, Central Jakarta, on Friday (2/12), President Jokowi expressed his optimism in facing the new year and invited the business sector to be optimistic in anticipating 2023. The optimism involves four factors, which are Indonesia’s rich natural resources, its vast human resources, its large markets and its position on a busy trading route.

A Kompas opinion poll in November also indicated that despite the many members of the younger generation facing difficulty this year, their optimism in anticipating 2023 was not lost. Nearly all Generation Z (Gen Z) and millennial respondents, around 92 percent, were convinced that the situation in 2023 would be better than the one this year. The optimistic view of the 2023 condition is most noticeable in occupation. Business in 2023 will improve and the income of young people will increase (Kompas, 3/12/2022).

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Optimism about the new year in fact is not only shown by the Indonesian nation. A number of other countries also have the same optimism so that health restrictions and protocols related to the COVID-19 pandemic are no longer applied. The economies of these countries are also again on the move in spite of the prevailing conflict between nations.

It is bright in the challenging year, brilliant in the coming year. That is the hope and conviction of the nation, which is also entering the political year soon, ahead of the 2024 general elections. This optimism can materialize if all elements of the nation can exercise restraint and appreciate each other, without getting trapped in political turmoil. Remember that we should work together, maintaining mutual assistance.

This article was translated by Aris Prawira.