UI Partners with Ministry of Transportation to Prepare Policies on New Normal Order
Delli Asterina ~ FEB UI Public Relations Officer
Universitas Indonesia (UI) is one of the four state universities that collaborate with the Ministry of Transportation to deal with public transportation issues in the new normal after the pandemic. The collaboration agreement was signed on Tuesday (2/6/2020) during a virtual seminar entitled Collaboration to Respond to the Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic and Recovery Strategy in the New Normal Order in the Transportation Sector.
UI Rector Prof. Ari Kuncoro, S.E., M.A., Ph.D. said that there is a tendency for the government to change the focus of public policies, from COVID-19 prevention and transmission to the handling of post-pandemic economic impacts. “In this case, the Ministry of Transportation can become a pioneer of new norms, especially in changing people’s attitude towards air travel. Regulations on aviation health standards should be issued, such as on the requirement to wear a mask, physical distancing, and the use of toilets on the plane,” Ari explained. According to him, to face the new normal, a multidisciplinary approach that suits the development of realities in the field is important.
UI Vice Rector, Research and Innovation Prof. Dr. rer nat. Abdul Haris who leads the consortium of collaboration between UI and the Ministry of Transportation said, “The real form of this cooperation is the policy briefs from each UI expert group, which will be used by the Ministry of Transportation as considerations in issuing public policies. This is one of UI’s efforts to contribute to national decision making, which is very much needed by the nation’s leaders.”
In the seminar, a joint team of UI experts represented by Director of Innovation and UI Science Techno Park Ahmad Gamal, S.Ars., M.Si., MUP., Ph.D. presented the results of the team’s research entitled Saving the Aviation Industry: Anticipating Impacts, Predicting Change, & Policy Recommendations During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic. The UI Expert Team stated that in the new normal, there will be a change in people’s perception of air travel. “If in the past air travel was considered fast, rational, safe, convenient, and stylish, after the pandemic, traveling by plane would be considered unsafe, associated with the potential for spreading the virus, so it will only be done in urgent circumstances. The government and the aviation business need to consider this change in perception to save the national air transport sector,” said Gamal.
Gamal also said that it is very likely that Indonesia’s air transport sector will experience an elongated U-shaped (gradual) recovery until 2021. This recovery phase will last for 12-18 months, assuming a slow handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. This assumption is based on the fact that the efforts to lower the number of new cases and deaths related to COVID-19 will take time before they yield results. Therefore, the government will take a prudent approach and open international borders and reopen the air transport sector gradually.
To deal with the situation, UI proposed several recomendations for the aviation sector, including: collaboration among aviation stakeholders in implementing aviation health standards, implementing detailed health standards before and while on board, as well as disseminating flightworthiness regulations to all potential passengers through print and online media.
In the collaboration with the Ministry of Transportation, UI was assigned the task of preparing five studies, namely: Health Standards in Air Transportation Facilities and Infrastructure, Changes in the Behavior of Air Transport Users, Evaluating the Effectiveness of Aviation Sector Regulations, Aviation Sector Performance Resilience, and Recovery Models and Strategies Aviation Business.
Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi and Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani also attended the seminar and the signing of the cooperation agreement to give their remarks. The rectors of the four state universities that collaborate with the Ministry of Transportation were also present, namely Prof. Ari Kuncoro (UI), Prof. Panut Mulyono (UGM), Prof. Reini Wirahadikusumah (ITB), and Prof. Mochamad Ashari (ITS). (hjtp)
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