In the last two weeks, the UK has started to record its highest levels of positive COVID cases and on Sunday total attributable deaths passed 75,000. For context, do we all remember the Imperial College worst-case model predicting between 30-40,000 and PM Boris and Co talking of less than 25,000 as a job well done? And as the political parties argue over ‘when’ more stringent restrictions should be put in place, we are all indeed grateful and proud of the delivery of the Oxford University/Astra Zeneca vaccine, the most practical option available in terms of stability and price.

The challenge now seems very clear- to get 25 million British citizens vaccinated before the healthcare system is over-run. Easter is proffered as realistic IF government can get logistics right. We all hope so.

Not too much stall has ever been held in the data in our host country simply because of the low levels of testing as a percentage of population. But, I am hearing that there is a queue for hospital beds in Bogor and very close to similar in parts of Greater Jakarta. This would suggest that our respective countries are experiencing very very similar strains on healthcare capacity.

In the absence of any concrete progress with the Chinese options, let’s hope that Astra Zeneca and RI can find a way to fast-track a deal, production and distribution of the British vaccine here in Indonesia. Surely that is a fair and credible aspiration and reason for optimism.

BREXIT was done while most of us were on leave. Having spent the holiday season in the UK and been hooked up to various Chamber, private sector and trade social media groups, it is almost unanimously agreed that a deal is better than no deal. But there is plenty of conjecture as to how much better this deal is v no deal. Only time will tell. It is far too early to appraise the winners and losers. But, to follow are five objective observations that I have plucked from chatter within the British Chambers’ network.

YOUR INPUT MATTERS. I will be writing to executives among nominees of members on Thursday. In addition to introducing you more formally to our new Board line-up, I shall be inviting your input on what you would like us to do more of, less of and introduce as ‘new’ . Please do give this your attention.

Finally, those of you who know me just a little also know I am very much a glass half-full person. I look back on how well we have all coped under extreme circumstances last year. We are all realistic enough to know that those challenges now spill into 2021. So, whilst we may not be in calmer waters, we do have the benefit if invaluable experience. So, let’s continue to work through these challenges in the same spirit of duty and partnership. On behalf of the Executive Office team, please be assured of our total support again this year.

With best regards to you al.

Chris Wren

Executive Director

For more than 4 decades, BritCham Indonesia has been facilitating trade and investment between Indonesia and the UK. This year, we have established a new unit within the Executive Office focusing on education and human resource.

To talk to our team, contact: educentre@britcham.or.id and make sure to follow BritCham Education Centre on Facebook & LinkedIn page

If you have plans to pursue further study in the UK, we would love to hear about your major preferences and your career plans. We appreciate if you can take a few minutes to complete our brief survey. Also, if you happen to know family, friends, and/or people within your networks who are planning to continue their study, please feel free to share this survey with them.

If you have any questions, please drop a message to our team at educentre@britcham.or.id