Social scientist's perspective on the reaction of the Indonesian government to COVID-19 in the first phase

The Indonesian government's response tends to be slow in handling the surge of COVID-19 in the first phase. This study aimed to examine the Indonesian government's response to the spread of COVID-19 in the first phase from the social scientist's perspective. This study is a qualitative research with a constructivist paradigm because it examines the perception of social scientists about how the Indonesian government handles the issue of COVID-19 at an early stage. The results showed that the Indonesian government's reaction had weaknesses, including inconsistency, multiple interpretations, disregarding people's safety in favor of economic and political interests, and the president's lack of Pancasila values. Several ministers responded to journalists' questions regarding information that COVID-19 had entered Indonesia with jokes that did not reflect sympathy for the public's anxiety. Furthermore, the government seems to have underestimated the warnings from media coverage with no restrictions on international flights. All the social scientists agreed that the Indonesian government's response failed in handling public communication through mass media to COVID-19 in the First Phase. Therefore, this study recommended effective public communication management regarding substance and delivery techniques to promote cooperation in dealing with the pandemic.