A apprehensive world has been
predicting that the COVID 19 pandemic will be a turning point for all
things starting from globalisation, liberalism, communism, social systems,
spike in poverty, recession and to the environment degradation etc. Concerns
are legitimate
All the apprehensions are as
valid and as compelling as the other. There is no sequencing of priorities. All
are number one priority, symbiotic, synergistic and inter dependent.
But the Commander of USA refuses
to embrace the reality and would just not listen to the world with his ear to
the ground.
Instead he insists on his old
ways disregarding what damage it may inflict on Americans amid the COVID 19
outbreak.
And now when the elections are
hardly six months away, then can Americans hope for better relief from their
President?
I guess he is looking for
Cambridge Analytica to get him the answers for social angst.
This COVID 19 handling & its outcome
would make him or break him. That is certain.
In the
deepening health and socio-economic crisis, he is projecting himself as the
indispensable leader of a nation- a messiah and a saviour, while undermining
everyone, including media & his closest team members as well, when they
have a guarded and appropriate response.
His sheer
ignorance, arrogance and his eagerness is to save the stock market now
rather than saving precious American lives as his priority, a shocking truth
that Americans must face.
As the COVID
19 crisis deepens by the day , he would be judged by his actions that assuages
the hurt and embalms the society & not by his rhetoric & accusation to
all & sundries.
World has never taken kindly to
leaders who have tried to pass the buck by blaming others. .
When the nation emerges from the
tragedy of the pandemic amid distressing human loss and an economy in ruins, it
will seek to blame someone for the devastation.
The performance of the Trump
administration as incumbent will be the first to be dissected by the
nation, by the media and by the world bodies that he has despised and snapped
at. .
I am not clear
whether Americans will blame Trump for the poor preparedness, incoherence and
mismanagement of the crisis, or accept his justifications and his
buck-passing to China, Obama, WHO, WTO, UNO or pretty much everyone else he could
blames for their misery.
Putting things
under the carpet and sitting on it doesn’t make the problem disappear, but when
confronted heads on- it can be resolved. It is simplest adage of Leadership.
What a shaky
ground America has moved on due to its failure of leadership on top.
There are deep
lessons for the lesser world leaders in it.
Doing
monologues with citizens doesn’t mitigate their problems, nor does it chase
away the pandemic that has frightened the people all over the world, by
clapping or drumbeating from the window sills- it needs hard decisive actions
that mitigates the problems of fringe populations, if assurances doesn’t reach
the people on ground, then this would snowball to crisis- social and political
as well. .
This pandemic
is bound to open up the fault line in society across the world- in economy, in
politics and pretty much anything else of every country and would be staring at
an abyss that could be much deeper than visible.
The fissure
would be far more gaping and deep in poor countries where majority of citizens
are on the brink of subsistence and at best as daily wage earners who have not
only lost their livelihood, but also a source to have subsistence food to
survive.
The poor and
the fringe citizens of a country also have families to fend for who would
succumb from hunger & malnutrition & not due to COVID 19 if not cared
for in time.
A country like
India & many in Latin America, Asia & Africa would be frayed beyond its
limits to make citizens reach minimum food availability and that surge has a
deeper concern as desperation throws all cautions to wind & lockdown is
getting extended country by country.
Who would
follow social distancing then? Who would care for the mask in public and hand
sanitization, when a meal for the day would be the minimum need to preserve the
life from hunger?
We can see the
people on fringe of the economic pyramid getting riotous and on street in
thousands in almost all industrial clusters where they are locked in without
access to any resources and livelihood, unless their very basic needs of food
is satiated.
World has
witnessed that in the past & would see it presently. This could be a
regular feature and would be untameable, unless comprehensively addressed by
respective governments.
Food riots
& looting on a daily basis in less endowed nations have become a daily
reality.
Even in the
land of plenty, the social markers are getting stretched and essentials are
also disappearing from shelves of shops and markets. How long tolerance would
remain a virtue & how long the the vacuous words of some leaders would
satiate the needs of citizens?
Not for long I
guess.
It is time to
unite and fight a common enemy with all collective might that the world can
garner, leaving aside political posturing and borders and endeavour to reach
relief to the last person under stress due to food security. If we fail, then
the leadership of the world would be replaced and so would be the tradition of
trust and respect.
The countries
and zones of the world who are feeling enthused by a false positive remission
of the pandemic spread and have empirically tried to show to the world that
they are ready for business & have opened up businesses. Like in China and
in several places in Europe, such immature moves have a price tag that would be
much steeper if a second breakout occurs due to ill conceived utopia of all is
well now.
Lockdown is a
safety valve that has to withstand huge social pressure & if opened
recklessly can open up a Pandora Box. Cautious optimism and discretion is
desired to start the economy gently.
Life versus
Profits cannot be a binary choice, but should be judged by a moral compass. Lives
of people cannot be a trade off with business.
The countries
that demonstrate haste and recklessness would be in for very rude shock, when
the pandemic return to strike back. It would be much harder than before.
It has already
re-emerged & surged in South Korea, China & other few places where it
was considered as sanitized.
Financial
priorities, if it sits on top of this pandemic that is the biggest challenge
after first world war, then a resurgent of COVID 19 Pandemic in those places will not only finish those
countries, but would even go for a retooling of political choices and redrawing
the boundaries & affiliation to any existing union and or groups.
Italy &
Spain, the worst affected two countries in Europe, are opening up business rapidly.
That is not only foolhardy, but is also dangerous and can put Europe in a
perilous position. All notions of robust health systems in developed world just
crumbled like a half baked cookies & the world watched in horror the claims
of a citadel turning in to a sand castle that brought our bodies in bags in
thousands.
Still if some
nations across the world think that life is a party, well then they would be
pretty tired to attend the funeral parties.
COVID 19
follows no boundaries, doesn’t distinguish colour, caste and creed and has not
spared the mightiest to the meekest.
One thing is
increasingly clear that choices in post COVID 19 world would not be the same as
was for us just a few months back.
If it prolongs
beyond a certain timeline, then world would be a different place with different
expectations, different needs and indifferent deliveries- country by country.
Solidarity for
survival is the need now and a collective leadership can help where no space
should be given to most of the present leaders who have built a political base
on a web of lies and deceit.
With a sincere
wish that I expect everyone to stay safe and remember the old adage from
Shakespeare- Discretion is the better part of valour. Well under the
circumstance I am taking liberty with an apology to Shakespeare- Distancing is
a better part of valour.
At least seems
so, if one wants to remain safe.
Dated -14
April 2020
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