Widodo turns to religion to encourage vaccinations in Indonesia

resident Joko Widodo met with leaders of Indonesia’s six main religions to find ways to improve Covid-19 vaccination efforts, which critics say snails are gaining momentum

September 4, 2021

Indonesian President Joko Widodo is seeking the help of religious leaders to revive the encouraging flag. (View: Setkab)

Author: Konradus Epa
President Joko Widodo has met with leaders of Indonesia’s six main religions to find ways to improve Covid-19 vaccination work, which critics say is advancing at a snail’s pace.

The meeting was held at the Jakarta Presidential Palace on 30 August and was attended by Buddhists, Catholics, Confucians, Hindus, Muslims and Protestants, including Jakarta Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo, President of the Indonesian Bishop’s Congress.

During the meeting, Widodo acknowledged that the supply of vaccines and the lack of people to vaccinate slowed down the government’s efforts to still vaccinate the population amid very high rates of infection.

Only about 97.5 million of Indonesia’s 260 million people have been vaccinated since vaccination work began in January.

Widodo said Indonesia will receive 70 million doses from abroad in September, so religious leaders need to work together to ensure the people in the region can be vaccinated.

He urged religious leaders to ensure that their loyalists work more closely with government agencies in sharing doses and provide volunteers from their ranks to help them.

He also asked leaders to help alleviate people’s fear of vaccination after reports of various side effects, such as blood clotting.

Cardinal Suharyo said the church would help vaccinate people who might slip through the net because they don’t have official documents like the homeless.

“We’re sending mobile teams to help people who don’t have an ID card,” he said.

To speed up vaccination efforts, he said dioceses and congregations will help vaccinate people if vaccines are given. –ucanews.com