Bali College Students Urge Government To Reopen International Borders

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During the National Labor Day, Denpasar National College Student Movement (GMNI) conveyed their aspiration to the central government to reopen the international travel corridor.

The Head of Denpasar GMNI, I Putu Chandra Riantama criticized the central government’s policy to ban all international visitors to gain entry into the island since the Covid-19 pandemic hit Bali’s tourism-reliant economy.

“Bali economy has been paralyzed since the government implemented the travel ban policy, causing many people to lose their jobs,” Riantama said on Saturday (1/5).

He noted that tourism workers have been patiently waiting for the economy to recover since the government had been planning to reopen the international corridor last year in 2020, yet they haven’t seen the execution of that idea.

“People are getting tired of waiting for the border to reopen, and I think it should be the responsibility of the Bali Governor to represent the people of Bali and keep insisting on the central government until they reopen the border for international tourists,” Riantama added.

He also hopes that the plan to reopen the border by June or July this year will stay on track. Meanwhile, the Head of Legal Bureau of Denpasar GMNI, Daffa Dhaifullah explained that there are three points that they urge the government to consider, as follows:

1. The government to fully reopen the international travel corridor in June or July 2021,
2. The government to protect the workers’ rights once the border reopens
3. Bali Governor to propose revisions to the latest Employment’s Policy that was issued in 2020