Home Ministry Reprimands Regional Heads of Their Maneuvers

The Home Minister (Mendagri), Tito Karnavian, issued Home Ministerial Instruction No. 6/2020 on the COVID-19 health protocol enforcement. "It is a follow up on the President of the Republic of Indonesia’s instruction at a closed cabinet meeting on Monday, November 16, 2020, at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, which, among other things, highlights the consistency of COVID-19 protocol compliance and prioritizes people’s safety," read the excerpt from the regulation issued on Wednesday (11/18).

Six points of the instruction are as follows:

1). Consistently enforce the COVID-19 health protocol in each area, such as wearing masks, washing hands properly, keeping distance, and avoiding crowds.

2). Take proactive steps to prevent COVID-19 transmission, not just responsive/reactive measures. Preventive measures can be humane, and crowd dispersion shall be used as a last resort.

3). Regional heads as the highest administrative leaders in their respective regions must become role models for the people to comply with the COVID-19 health protocol, including not participating in crowds that potentially violate health protocols.

4). Whereas according to Law No. 23/2014 on the regional administration, regional heads have the following obligations along with sanctions:

1. Article 67, letter b, reads: "Regional heads shall obey all statutory provisions".
2. Article 78: (1) Regional heads and/or deputy regional heads shall leave the office because: a). dies; b). at his/her own request; or c). dismissed.
3. The dismissed regional heads and/or deputy regional heads as referred to in paragraph (1) letter c: a). at the end of his term of office; b). unable to carry out the task continuously or consecutively absent for 6 months; c). having violated the oath/promise as referred to in Article 67 letter b; d). failing to carry out the regional head and deputy regional head obligations referred to in Article 67, letter b; e). committed a disgraceful act; f). assigned by the President to conduct a certain task in a certain position prohibited by the legislation's provisions; g). using false documents and/or information as a requirement as a head/deputy regional head candidate based on evidence from the institution authorized to issue documents; and/or h). being dismissed.
4. Based on the instruction in the fourth Dictum, regional heads violating the provisions of laws and regulations may be subject to dismissal sanctions.
5. These instructions are effective as of stipulation.