"Akin to Kartini, the walls of the house should not prevent us from caring for our fellow human beings," Indrawati was quoted as saying through her personal Instagram account @smindrawati in Jakarta, Tuesday.
Dressed in a white kebaya and batik cloth, she recalled that a century ago, Raden Ajeng Kartini was locked in a house owing to the customary, social, and cultural rules followed during that time.
However, the obstacles did not pose a hindrance to the national hero to continue to work and voice his concern for his fellow human beings.
Indrawati emphasized that Kartini's spirit is expected to serve as a guiding beacon for Indonesians today to unitedly fight COVID-19.
"The Creator expects humanity to be able to always care for their fellow humans and protect the universe. Have we all cared?" the minister questioned.
The former managing director of the World Bank is optimistic that by staying at home, the community would be able to help the government and fellow humans fight the COVID-19 pandemic at least by curbing the spread of the disease.
Staying at home also helps medical workers, doctors, nurses, and hospital employees, currently at the forefront and viewed as the heroes of humanity, to shield people from the threat of COVID-19.
"Congratulations on the commemoration of the spirit of Kartini Day. Hopefully, all of you, all of us, can become the heroes of humanity," Indrawati stated.
President Joko Widodo had earlier ordered to ensure the provision of best-possible protection to medical workers as the vanguard against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The head of state urged his aides to take requisite measures to stave off further deaths of medical workers from COVID-19.
"The president has emphasized the need to offer optimum protection to doctors and other medical workers at the forefront of the battle," Doni Monardo, head of the Task Force for Acceleration of the COVID-19 Handling, stated after a virtual meeting with President Jokowi here on Monday.
The efforts encompass ensuring the availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for medical workers handling COVID-19 patients.
"We do not want to see more doctors die owing to a lack of protection. We need to cooperate with all parties to ensure that doctors would receive better protection," he remarked.
EDITED BY INE
