Nida Sahara, Jakarta – Indonesia's government remains too reactive in managing risks, often scrambling to respond only after a crisis hits despite warning signs that could have allowed authorities to prepare in advance, Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) founder Dino Patti Djalal said.
The former Indonesian ambassador to the United States said the government needed to develop a stronger culture of risk assessment and prevention, similar to the banking industry, where risk is a central consideration in decision-making.
"I am not referring to the current government specifically, but to the government in general. In banking, everything is about risk. Unfortunately, the government does not think about risk as much as people in the banking industry do. The culture is reactive rather than preventive," Dino said in Jakarta on Thursday.
He said the pattern was evident in the government's handling of forest and land fires, which authorities could anticipate but often failed to prepare for adequately.
"Everyone already knows that forest and land fires will happen, especially with El Nino and other factors. But when they actually occur, the preparations are not in place," Dino said.
Dino also cited Indonesia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 as an example of inadequate risk anticipation. While countries including China and Italy were already grappling with rising infections, Indonesia had yet to demonstrate sufficient preparedness for the virus's potential spread.
He recalled a statement by a senior government official at the time suggesting that Indonesia had little reason to worry because God would prevent the virus from entering the country.
"What did our senior officials say back in 2020? 'We do not need to worry because God will not allow COVID-19 to enter Indonesia,'" Dino said.
Once the virus spread across the country, Indonesia became a COVID-19 epicenter, leaving the government scrambling to respond, he said.
"I do not know why this tendency exists in our government culture. First, it is not risk-minded. Second, it is not prevention-minded, but rather reaction-minded," Dino said.