Mulyadi, a Member of Budget Committee of the Indonesian House, explained that the widespread of coronavirus (Covid-19) had brought dramatic impact on all aspects of life in the country. He called on the government to respond swiftly to overcome the rapid spread of Covid-19. If the government responded slowly, more people would fall victims to the deadly virus and in turn this situation would cause severe damage to Indonesia’s economy.

“Currently, the number of Covid-19 victims continues to rise. In addition, the death ratio is very high compared to other countries. Besides that, the Rupiah exchange rate continues to weaken, the stock market keeps declining, prompting the price of staple goods continues to rise,” he said during a press release with Parliamentaria, Saturday (21/3/2020).

To tackle this, Mulyadi called for the government to work in synergy with the Indonesian House in making specific policies, not only to overcome the spread of the virus, but also to tackle adverse effects that might follow afterwards.

“It is time for the government to sit together with the House to handle this situation, especially in making legitimacy and approval of the budget concentrated to overcome Covid-19,” stated the politician from the Great Indonesian Movement Party (Gerindra).

Regarding the budget issues, he proposed the budget for infrastructure and other sectors that were considered non-priority be reallocated for the handling of Covid-19 and its adverse impacts.

“The government must respond swiftly by supporting maximum budget. The executive must immediately improve its coordination and find a solution of this problem, especially regarding the readiness of the human resources and the medical equipment,” he said.

Futhermore, as regards mitigation efforts for the people, Mulyadi called for a one-door information related to coronavirus.”Don’t let anyone that is not authorized talk about Covid-19, so that the people become confused and worried,” the politician from West Java V constituency added.

Mulyadi also urged the people to stay calm and not to panic in handling this situation. “The people must continue to maintain their health and cleanliness, remain calm, and keep praying so that this disaster will soon be over and put their trust in the government,” he concluded.