JAKARTA: Indonesia and Malaysia are set to implement work-from-home measures for civil servants later this month in an effort to conserve energy, becoming the latest nations in Asia to make the move amid disruption to global fuel supply triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Governments in many Asian countries dependent on oil imports have moved to implement energy-saving measures to mitigate the ongoing supply crisis after the attacks on Feb. 28 led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz — a critical chokepoint where around 80 percent of the crude oil and liquefied natural gas passing through is destined for Asian markets.
Indonesia announced Fridays as a remote workday for civil servants as part of a series of “adaptive and preventive” measures to address the global supply crisis.
“The government has established a work culture transformation policy to encourage a more efficient, productive and digital-based work culture,” Chief Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto said during a virtual press conference earlier this week.
“This policy includes several key steps … (including) the implementation of a one day a week work-from-home policy for civil servants for both central and regional governments every Friday.”
