The coronavirus pandemic has caused substantial impacts to the economy and sent a number of countries to recession, including Indonesia. The Finance Ministry of the Republic of Indonesia warned of the recession, as growth in the third quarter of 2020 was estimated to contract to 1.1 to 2.9 per cent, while the overall growth by the end of the year is likely to contract to between 1.7 and 0.6 per cent (Kompas.com, 23 September 2020).
According to Universitas Gadjah Mada economist Fahmy Radhi, in theory a recession can be called out when a country experiences negative growth for two consecutive quarters. However, it is only one of the indicators of recession aside from inflation and exchange rates. There are different issues that can drive a country into an economic crisis: a) a sudden and significant economic shock, such as the current pandemic that has shut down the global economy; b) excessive debt; c) irrational investment decisions that lead to adverse economic impacts; d) volatile inflation rate instead of stable trend of price increase over an interval of time; e) deflation, where prices decline over time, causing wages to suffer and further drive price downturn; f) new technological innovations that boost productivity and economy in the long term, but causes sudden market shift where adjustment is needed for a short period to allow breakthroughs to be accepted.
In a challenging time, such as an economic crisis, the role of the National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) is vital. Overseeing family development, population, and family planning programs, BKKBN is the backbone of Indonesia’s efforts to realize quality family and family resiliency pursuant to Law Number 52 of 2009 concerning Population Growth and Family Development. Family resiliency and family well-being refer to a condition where Indonesian families have the tenacity and perseverance, physically and financially capable of being independent, and willing to grow individually and as a family to live in harmony and achieve mental and physical well-being.
According to Sonny Harry B. Harmadi, the Chairperson of Indonesian Coalition for Population/Deputy for the Coordination of Community, Village, and Regional Environment of the Coordinating Ministry for Human and Cultural Development, family resiliency represents “a shift in population policy from family-planning to family development-centric. This changes the focus from size to quality, placing Indonesian families as the first and foremost vessel of human development. ‘Family resiliency’ denotes sufficiency and continuity of access of a family to income and resources in order to adequately meet a family’s basic needs, such as food, clean water, healthcare, education, housing, civil participation, and social integration.”
The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has caused significant disruption in various sectors, from health, economy, to social sectors. With respect to the economy, Indonesia’s growth in the second quarter this year contracted to minus 5.32%. In terms of employment, the pandemic has caused millions of employees furloughed or even laid off. According to February 2020 data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) of Bengkulu Office, there are 1,465,420 people in the productive age in Bengkulu Province; the workforce comprises 1,081,910 people and as many as 34,810 people are unemployed with open unemployment rate at 3.22 percent, up by 0.72 percent from 2019. As the result, the province’s poverty rate has hiked to 0.12.
Poverty is a condition when a person’s basic needs are not met, such as food, clothing, shelter, education, and healthcare. Poverty may be caused by the scarcity of means to meet basic needs or by difficult access to education and decent jobs. Moreover, poverty is a global issue and is multifaceted – some consider poverty subjectively and comparatively, some others consider poverty from moral and evaluative standpoint or an established scientific point of view. Poverty data is published twice a year in March and September. In March, when the global lockdown started, poverty rate around in countries around the world and in Indonesia rose. By September, poverty rate increased even further and may be exacerbated if Indonesia’s social and economic stimulus policies, such as the employment card, fail to provide the safety net that the people need.
The following table presents poverty data according to the recent statistics published by BPS in March 2020, which shows the following increase:
| Description | Urban | Rural | Total |
| Population
September 2019 March 2020 |
93,520 98,550 |
204,490 204,030 |
298,000 302,580 |
| Percentage
September 2019 March 2020 |
14.13 14.77 |
15.30 15.16 |
14.91 15.03 |
The table above shows that the impact of Covid-19 pandemic to poverty. It also suggests that poverty rates in urban areas, both by population size and percentage, are higher than rural areas. It can be said that the effects of the pandemic have been felt more prominently in urban areas.
Covid-19 also leads greater social and health impacts, especially in terms of family planning service delivery. Midwives and nurses who provide prenatal care, assist in delivery, and deliver contraception services are at high risk of being exposed to the virus. Meanwhile, there has been a shortage of personal protective equipment for medical personnel. Disruption to family planning services may lead to increased unmet need, increased delay in access to injectables and pills as the more preferred contraceptive methods, and higher risk for pregnant women.
According to Head of BKKBN Hasto Wardoyo, as we enter the new normal, every family member must adapt in order to break the chain of Covid-19 transmission and that specific efforts to strengthen family resiliency are needed. One of the ways to do that is by focusing on family-centered parenting and role modeling that reflect eight dimensions of family function, thereby promoting harmonious, happy, and independent families. Nevertheless, according to Program Performance and Accountability Survey (SKAP, 2019) in Bengkulu, only 6.5 per cent of the population have been informed about the eight dimensions of family function while 93.5 per cent of the population have never heard of the term. Of the 6.5 per cent, 95.3 per cent are aware of at least 1 dimension; 88.2 per cent are aware of at least 2 dimensions; 82 per cent are aware of 3 dimensions; 75.9 per cent are aware of 4 dimensions; 68.6 per cent are aware of 5 dimensions; and 61.5 per cent, 52 per cent, and 37.3 per cent are aware of 6, 7, and 8 dimensions, respectively. Meanwhile, as many as 4.7 per cent have no knowledge of the dimensions.
The lack of knowledge of family function in the population, combined with the fact that poverty rate in Bengkulu is increasing, has caused Bengkulu families to be vulnerable, or lack resiliency. Furthermore, in the BPS Happiness Index 2017, Bengkulu ranks 25th out of 34 provinces with a happiness score of 70.61.
To ensure that Bengkulu’s society can be resilient and can avoid the devastation that an economic crisis may bring, the following targets become especially pertinent to realize strong Indonesian families:
- Reduced total fertility rate (TFR) from 2.24 in 2020 to 2.1 in 2024. Population control policy aims to promote balanced population growth and capture the demographic dividend. Population control contributes to human development to realize excellent, superior, and competitive manpower; this is achieved by implementing comprehensive family planning and reproductive health measures, increasing age of first marriage as part of TFR reduction, and improving maternal and child health.
- To introduce holistic and integrated family development efforts that consider human’s life cycle. Promote partnership, network, and engagement with global communities to improve family resiliency.
- Strengthen innovation and improve the use of technology, information, and communications system, especially in the economy.
- Build institutional and individual capacity as well as the welfare of public servants.