By: Dodik Prasetyo )*
Natuna residents should not have to worry about the observation of Indonesian citizens from China. In addition to going through strict security procedures, Indonesian citizens returning from China are also compatriots who are currently in good health.
The aircraft owned by Batik Air which departed from Wuhan, China, had landed at Batam’s Hang Nadim Airport on February 2, 2020, around 8.45 WIB. The wide body aircraft carried around 238 Indonesian citizens (WNI) as the Corona Virus spread in the bamboo curtain country.
According to the Presidential Spokesman, Fadjroel Rachman, the process of humanitarian evacuation and transit observation was based on Presidential Instruction No.4 / 2019 under the coordination of the Coordinating Minister for Politics and Security and the Coordinating Minister for PMK. In addition, all Indonesian citizens who were picked up during the humanitarian evacuation were confirmed to be all healthy.
The observation policy of Indonesian citizens on Natuna Island turned out to be rejected by the local community. On February 2, 2020, Natuna Residents held a demonstration in the Raden Sajad Saleh Air Base (Lanud) area to block Indonesian citizens who were repatriated from Wuhan, China. Besides giving speeches, residents also burned tires as a symbol of protest.
At first glance, the resentment of the residents was reasonable as the mass news about the Corona Virus. However, the rejection arises as a result of people’s ignorance of a number of facts related to the evacuation of Indonesian citizens from China.
It is certain that all Indonesian citizens returning to Indonesia are in good health without any indication of symptoms of the Corona Virus. The Chinese and Indonesian governments have closely monitored the evacuation process, so that no residents infected with the Corona Virus can get out of Wuhan, China.
The watchful eye was reflected in the failure of the 3 Indonesians who failed to leave when the Indonesian pick-up schedule in Wuhan arrived. In fact, the three people were not infected with Corona Virus, but were exhausted because they were waiting for the evacuation process. This provision is a regulation of the World Health Organization (WHO) which states that it is not allowed to transport unhealthy people from Wuhan to outside the city of Wuhan.
The Indonesian government has worked professionally in evacuating Indonesian citizens from China. Although it has been declared free of the Corona Virus by both the Chinese and Indonesian Authorities, evacuated Indonesian citizens must be re-observed for 14 days, according to procedures established by WHO.
Many people say that the existence of Indonesia as a tropical country is a blessing in itself. This is thankful considering that the Corona Virus tends to develop in cold temperatures, such as Wuhan, which has an average temperature of almost 10 degrees Celsius, or France, or the United States in winter. Therefore, there is a possibility that Corona Virus cannot develop in Indonesia.
The selection of Natuna as the observation location did not occur due to button counting games, but through in-depth study. Natuna Island has a hospital facility that is managed by doctors from three armed forces, namely the Indonesian Navy, the Army, and the Air Force. The runway of the military base to the isolation hospital is very close. The hospital can accommodate up to 300 patients. Therefore, Natuna became the most ideal location to be a place of observation.
However, the Government has been optimal in evacuating its citizens. The Indonesian citizens who are currently observed in Natuna are part of the blood of Indonesia, their countrymen and countrymen, as well as part of humanity. They are not terrorists traitors of the nation who fled from Indonesia to join ISIS in Syria.
It is fitting for the Natuna people and all of Indonesia not to worry about Indonesian citizen observation in Natuna. It is truly a shame that we as fellow children of the nation reject the observation process of our brothers and sisters who are currently facing trials. As fellow sons and daughters of Indonesia, it is fitting to continue to strengthen our sense of brotherhood as a child of the nation and work hand in hand to struggle in passing various obstacles.
)* The author is a social political observer