UNAIR NEWS – It is undeniable that the current Covid-19 pandemic has a huge impact on various sectors of life, including the Indonesian economy. Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) in August, Indonesia’s economic growth in the second quarter of 2020 contracted or minus by 5.32 percent.
As a response to the pandemic, Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) Student Executive Board Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) held a national webinar entitled Embracing Uncertainties to Challenge Global Crisis on Saturday, October 3, 2020. Susi Pudjiastuti, was invited as a speaker in the seminar which is a part of International Development Student Conference (IDSC) 2020. Former Minister of Fisheries and Marine explained how entrepreneur should act swiftly taking measures and making new innovation in order to maintain their business during a pandemic.
In the seminar conducted with a question and answer system with the participants, Susi explained that consistency is an important thing that every entrepreneur must have today. According to her, all business practitioners must always be on alert and consistent in creating new opportunities. This consistency is from continuous thinking to find loopholes that can be used to improve the economy.
“Pandemic is a long term, we must have a different strategy because income is no longer the same as the previous normal condition,” she said.
One of the efforts to create new opportunities, according to Susi, is to make changes to the system according to the needs of today’s society. The founder of Susi Air gave an example of a restaurant in Pangandaran, which had closed completely due to the pandemic, is now starting to reopen with online sales system because there is always need for the food, but they are worried about eating out so online system is considered to be one of the right strategies.
“Make breakthrough in a tight spot! We must change direction according to current needs so employees can still work and the economy runs. If there is no change, it will be difficult,” she stressed.
Considering the tourism sector which is also hit due to the pandemic, the woman who was included in the list of 100 Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine also mentioned several measures that tourism businesses can make to survive during the pandemic, from reviving local tourism for people between cities or regencies within the same province by lowering the price of entrance tickets and implementing health protocols. She emphasized that outdoor tourism should be opened first. Because, indoor activity may lead to infection.
“In essence, both businessmen, employers, or individuals must all make changes to accommodate economic problems amid the Covid-19 pandemic,” she concluded. (*)
Author: Nikmatus Sholikhah
Editor: Feri Fenoria
