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Edition 19 May 2020
Cover Story
The Helping Hands
Amid the deadly pandemic, several individuals and communities are refusing to sit still and wait for the government to take action. Using simple ideas, they lend a helping hand to those affected by the pandemic. These people are gathering resources and working hard in order to move swiftly and accurately to fight the pandemic, whose end is not yet in sight. Acts of solidarity, such as the ones performed by these members of the Indonesian public, will persist even amid the worst of disasters.
Cover Story
Food for the City’s Poor
Activists established soup kitchens to provide food for those impacted by Covid-19. The food solidarity movement is meant to assist the urban poor.
Cover Story
20 Seconds to Save a Life
Some groups are raising public awareness on the coronavirus using simple methods. They are filling a vacuum not yet occupied by the government.
Cover Story
Keeping the Nation Alive
Plummeting demand and restricted access to distribution amid the Covid-19 pandemic have caused foodstuff prices to drop. Solidarity movements have come to the aid of farmers in Indonesia’s rural areas.
Cover Story
The Sewing Crew
Several groups take the initiative to fashion protective gear for health workers. Their products are being distributed for free to hundreds of medical facilities.
Cover Story
Rooms for Front-Line Medical Workers
The eviction of some health workers has led some boarding house owners to offer them rooms free of charge. Medical personnel are helping one another.
Economy
debt restructuring
Private and state-owned companies are in a race to restructure their debts due to the waning economy. The government anticipates limited liquidity in financial institutions.
Law
Something Amiss in Court
A number of key witnesses in the case of acid attack against Corruption Eradication Commission investigator, Novel Baswedan, were not presented by the prosecutor to court. Their testimonies are different compared to what is described in the indictment.
Interlude
Epidemics and Quarantine in the Dutch East Indies
Indonesia faced several epidemics during the Dutch East Indies era. From outbreaks of cholera and pestilence in the 18th and 19th centuries, and in the early of the 20th century up until the impact of the Spanish Flu. Those pandemics resembled the current situation. After a late response to the outbreak, the colonial government finally enacted a regional quarantine. Many things can be learned from past epidemics. Mitigation strategies, appropriate isolation measures, and rapid responses are needed.
Interlude
Interlude
Doctors without Protection
Interlude
Hans Pols, Writer of Nurturing Indonesia: Medicine and Decolonization in the Dutch East Indies: Javanese Doctors Knew of the Discrimination
In colonial times, the fight for independence was also driven by native doctors who graduated from the School tot Opleiding van Indische Artsen (STOVIA).
Interlude
1918-1919: Spreading Like Brush Fire
The Spanish Flu is the deadliest pandemic in history, wiping out tens of millions of people between 1918 and 1919. It was also a nightmare in the Dutch East Indies.
Interlude
After the Pandemic: ‘The New Normal’
An influenza pandemic changed many things for the Dutch East Indies and the world. A new way-of-life was begun. Some things had to change for the pandemic not to recur.
Interview
Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi, Foreign Minister: Protection of WNI Doesn’t Get Easier
Early this month, a news report coming out of South Korea sparked furor across the archipelago.
Photo
Smoke On The Water
A Pelindo 1’s tugboat tries to put out the fire that engulfed MT JAG LEELA vessel at Belawan Port, Medan, North Sumatra, Monday, May 11. The tanker was docking for maintenance at the dry-dock belonging to Waruna Nusa Sentana Shipyard when it caught on fire. The cause of the fire is still under investigation./ANTARA/Septianda Perdana
Letters
The Values of Japanese and Indonesian Novels
Delving further into the literary works of Nobel laureates from Japan like Kawabata and Yukio Mishima, we can notice the very paternalistic puritan morals of Asian nations.
Opinion
Celebrating Solidarity
ONE of just a few examples of good news from this Corona pandemic is the flourishing of solidarity everywhere.
Opinion
A Century Later
The way pandemics were handled in the past could be a valuable lesson for responding to Covid-19. Health considerations should be prioritized when making decisions.
Opinion
Finding The Mastermind
There have been a number of irregularities in the trial over the attack on Novel Baswedan. The judge needs to summon the former Greater Jakarta Police chief.
Opinion
Dangers Restructuring
Any relief on debt payments must prioritize the principle of caution. There must be a cordon to keep out thieves.
Sidelines
A French philosopher, aged 60, travelled 2,100 kilometers by horse-driven carriage to meet an empress in Russia.