Jun 16, 2020
It’s probably no secret that I’ve been somewhat critical of the Ministry of Trade’s export ban, specifically Permendag 34/2020 on the export ban of antiseptics, PPE, masks, and PPE raw materials. The regulation may be well-intentioned, but it can have negative effects by disrupting supply chains, reducing the credibility of our government and businesses, and failing to help increase production capacity. Especially since we are highly import-dependent for nearly every COVID-19-related item (see tables 1 and 2). We could help the world fight COVID-19 by contributing our garment-sewing workforce for PPE, while obtaining those imported goods in return. Exports would also help secure dollar reserves for imports.
Jun 10, 2020
The government seems increasingly eager to usher in the “New Normal” and start reopening the economy. A guidebook on how to handle the “New Normal” from BPOM has already been circulated. News about malls reopening was everywhere (though apparently Summarecon Mal Bekasi did not open after all). The economy was set to bounce back!
May 31, 2020
Policy brief on the Indonesian manufacturing industry, focused on the decrease in Indonesia’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), submitted to the Indonesian minister of industry, Agus Kartasasmita, on 5 May 2020.
May 5, 2020
Today I saw on Twitter some concern over a Kompas article. The article reported that Indonesia would continue exporting Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The context is, of course, COVID-19: amid a pandemic, Indonesia itself needs a lot of PPE. How can we be exporting to other countries?
Apr 15, 2020
COVID-19 appears to still be ongoing. The latest update puts us at 686 cases. As testing increases, cases will rise even faster. Even with the current situation, our healthcare workers are struggling with a shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as hazmat suits and masks.
Mar 25, 2020
I believe much has already been said about COVID-19’s impact on both health and the economy. The latest I read was the macroeconomic impact of COVID-19 according to Professor McKibbin and his student Fernando’s model. They use several shocks, including reduced labor supply, increased risk premia, and higher production costs. All of these are naturally relevant, especially for manufacturing, which makes work from home difficult since factory workers must operate machinery on-site.
Mar 22, 2020
Hey folks. It’s been a long time since I’ve updated the blog. Things have been pretty crazy. All because of COVID-19. As you may know, this novel coronavirus has sent the whole world into a frenzy. The problems caused by the virus have been changing so fast, much faster than governments and ordinary people can react. When COVID-19 first started making headlines, I was shocked and didn’t know what to do. All I could do was watch the news. I’m currently in Australia, but half my mind is in Depok, where my family lives, especially my mother who is 70++. All I can do is offer prayers and support for my sibling who helps take care of our mother’s needs.
Mar 19, 2020
World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The organization has sent letters to inform global leaders to prepare themselves for the worst to come, including our very leader Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. Jokowi’s way of handling the pandemic so far has been receiving criticism for not doing (professionally) enough, with some Some even suggest a lockdown.
Mar 19, 2020
The world is in turmoil due to the emergence of the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. The virus first broke out in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), specifically in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province, at the start of the year just as the Chinese Lunar New Year was about to begin. As of this writing, the WHO reports 88,948 confirmed cases worldwide, of which 80,174 are in the PRC (see this for real-time statistics). The entire world faces high risk from COVID-19, including Indonesia.
Mar 3, 2020