Indonesia has held together despite deep economic and social stresses during the COVID-19 crisis, and if anything President Joko Widodo has strengthened his grip on power.
Household incomes were 78.9 percent lower during the period from October to November 2020 in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey .
2021 Indonesia Update: In sickness and in health anu.edu.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from anu.edu.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
July 11, 2021
A woman sits on an art installation at Trans Studio in Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo: Reuters
Before Covid-19 hammered the Malaysian economy, Kuala Lumpur native Jeremy Johnson made 7,000 ringgit ($2,250) a month as the general manager of a coffee company, and even had a car as part of his work benefits.
His family of six were firmly entrenched in the middle class: what Malaysia calls the M40 – for the 40 per cent of households considered “middle income” – defined as those earning 4,850 ringgit to 10,959 ringgit a month.
But movement restrictions forcing people to work from home and cautious spending from consumers hit his company hard and Johnson lost his job in August last year.
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Is Covid-19 terminal for the rising middle classes of Malaysia and Indonesia? A woman sits on an art installation at Trans Studio in Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo: Reuters
Before Covid-19 hammered the Malaysian economy, Kuala Lumpur native Jeremy Johnson, 43, made 7,000 ringgit (US$1,670) a month as the general manager of a coffee company and even had a car as part of his work benefits. His family of six were firmly entrenched in the middle class - what Malaysia calls the M40, for the 40 per cent of households considered middle income , defined as those earning 4,850 ringgit to 10,959 ringgit a month.
But movement restrictions forcing people to work from home and cautious spending from consumers hit his company hard and Johnson lost his job in August last year. Since he was the sole breadwinner, that one change swept his family into the low-income group. He is unable to access government handouts and relies on assistance from his family and friends from church.