COVID-19 and Indonesia's response: too little, too late?

In October 2019, the Indonesian President, Joko Widodo (known as Jokowi) appointed his
new cabinet for his second term after winning the April Presidential Election.1 Programs to
implement his campaign promises, as well as a plan to move the capital city from Jakarta to a
new area in East Kalimantan, have been publicly announced. The atmosphere was good and
there was sense of hope and positive feeling across the nation.
2
Little did he knew that two
months after that Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been identified in Wuhan, China
in December 2019. The virus spread quickly to other parts of the world, resulting in an ongoing
pandemic. On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID�19 outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), and subsequently,
as a pandemic on 11 March 2020.3 This virus has ruined dramatically the Jokowi
administration plan and program. This chapter seeks to evaluate Jokowi’s government
response and explain why they are not capable for responding quickly to the emergence of
the COVID-19.