By: Alfisyah Kumalasari) *
The April 30 workers’ demonstration plan led by the Indonesian Trade Union Confederation (KSPI) could not be accepted for any reason. The community also rejected the plan because there was no guarantee that every demonstrator would comply with the health protocol, thereby increasing Covid-19 transmission to others.
The Covid-19 plague has indeed made the government implement physical distancing rules. This is certainly not without reason, that in the midst of this pandemic, the crowd of people has the potential to endanger anyone involved.
This has already been seen by Tabligh worshipers who want to leave for Gowa, where their return from the canceled event has an impact on the increasing positive cases of Covid, PDP and ODP. The incident should make us all not to be careless in organizing events that have the potential of a crowd.
It should be in the current conditions, there are no other options for complying with existing protocols, namely work, study and worship at home. It means the safest place is at home right now.
The Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KPSI) and the Indonesian Workers ‘Workers’ Assembly (MPBI) should understand the nation’s overall health condition, not then take action on April 30 in the framework of International Labor Day or May Day.
The problem is, one of the Labor figures Said Iqbal said, that on the same date, similar actions would also be carried out in Serang, Bandung, Semarang, Banda Aceh, Batam, Bengkulu, Riau, Palembang, Lampung, Gorontalo, Banjarmasin and Papua.
This certainly will create a fundamental question, will KSPI and MPBI be able to guarantee that the simultaneous actions will make workers continue to obey the rules of physical distancing? The answer is of course not, let alone physical distancing, simple rules like not littering are certainly easy to be broken.
Especially during the implementation of large-scale social restrictions, the government does not allow a crowd of more than 5 people. If the action is attended by 200 workers, and one of the workers is a career of the corona virus and he accidentally shakes hands with other workers, of course this will make things worse.
How many will later become ODP, PDP and possibly the corona positive incidence will increase after the action takes place. If this happens, of course it will endanger many parties, including the demonstration participants themselves.
If the workers want the omnibus law discussion on the Work Cipta Bill to be stopped during the Corona Pandemic, of course there are still other ways that can be done besides mass actions that have the potential to create crowds.
Meanwhile, Head of the Jakarta Police Public Relations Commissioner, Senior Commissioner Yusri Yunus stressed that the police would not issue permits related to the workers’ demonstration plan to be held on 30 April.
Yusri firmly said, that his party would remain compliant with the policy of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) which prohibit the activities of crowding citizens.
Although the police have received an action notification letter, it is certain that KSPI will not get permission to hold the action at the end of April.
He added, precisely the workers understood that there would be a PSBB to suppress the spread of the corona virus or covid-19, not then to glorify the ego to take action to the streets.
PSBB implementation will certainly not be effective in suppressing the spread of the corona virus, if the community continues to violate the established policies.
Workers who want to take action on the streets should first read the results of the latest research released by the Katadata Insight Center (KIC). Where the latest research results show that DKI Jakarta, Banten and West Java Provinces are the areas most vulnerable to the co-19 pandemic.
Moreover, these data are based on areas that have high population mobility, population density and poor air quality.
If there are thousands of workers who threaten to invade the DPR during these conditions, of course this will indirectly threaten themselves and the surrounding community.
Of course, not all workers will automatically follow the action because of the may day momentum or peer solidarity.
Smart workers will certainly think twice about how to express their aspirations elegantly to the DPR, not necessarily threatening the government with actions taking to the streets that actually endanger the people themselves.
) * The author is a citizen, active in the Student Circle and the Cikini Press