Prohibition of Indonesian Citizens Entering Malaysia is a Sign Image of Indonesia Not Safe from Covid-19 Page all

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Epidemiology of the University of Indonesia (UI) Pandu Riono assessed the prohibition WNI enter the territory Malaysia shows Indonesia is not safe from Covid-19.

This was conveyed by Pandu in response to the ban on the entry of Indonesian citizens into Malaysia in a virtual discussion on Sunday (6/9/2020).

“It seems that Malaysia discriminates, is selective, only on certain citizens. This is the question, whether it is strong enough (the transmission of Covid-19 in a prohibited country). image Indonesia in several countries is not a safe country, “said Pandu.

Also read: Prohibition of Citizens to Malaysia Assessed to Lose Migrant Workers

He considered that the ban from Malaysia could later impact other countries that Indonesian citizens would like to visit, for example Saudi Arabia, which began to open itself for Umrah visits.

According to him, it is possible that later Indonesian citizens will be prohibited from entering Saudi Arabia because Indonesia is considered to be one of the countries with a high level of Covid-19 transmission.

For this reason, he asked the government to seriously respond to Malaysia’s policy by evaluating the pattern of handling Covid-19.

“It could be that great from this pandemic problem because it is regulated in law and that is in accordance with it international health regulation, “said Pandu.

“And in my opinion, the government should focus on handling the pandemic otherwise the impact will be enormous, including people who do not dare to enter Indonesia and Indonesians are prohibited from entering other countries,” he said.

Previously, Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemenlu) spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah confirmed the ban.

“The Malaysian government prohibits Long Term Pass holders from the Philippines, Indonesia and India from entering Malaysian territory,” he told Kompas.com, Thursday (3/9/2020).

The ban will apply to long-term residence permit holders, students, expatriates, permanent residents, as well as Malaysian family members.

The ban, he added, was effective from September 7, 2020.

Also read: Prohibiting Indonesian Citizens from Entering, Malaysia Is Allegedly Worried About Covid-19 Transmission from Indonesia

Teuku explained, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had summoned the Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia on Wednesday (2/9/2020) to ask for clarification on the news.

The Malaysian Ambassador, Teuku said, promised to deliver the talks with the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Kuala Lumpur.

However, information regarding the reasons for the ban is not yet clear. Currently, the Indonesian Government is still waiting for confirmation from the Malaysian Government.

“We have asked for clarification, we are waiting, what is the exact reason for the restriction,” he said again.

However, the policy to prohibit Indonesian citizens from visiting Malaysia is only temporary.

“The Malaysian Ambassador informed that this policy is temporary and will be reviewed every week,” he said.

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