IT IS TIME FOR SPRING CLEANING

After every World Cup, football, cricket or hockey, except the winning team which may retain its captain, the heads of the losing captains usually roll. There is a reason for this; the teams want to make a fresh start so that next time they can win. The captain, the coach, their coterie all are dumped so that a spring cleaning of the team is possible. The old ways of thinking, planning, coaching, practicing, executing are all dumped and a change is ushered with a hope of revival. The stale stench is banished and a breath of fresh air is welcomed in. The W.H.O has lost the battle against COVID19 and urgently needs a spring cleaning. 

In this hour of crisis instead of providing global leadership by calling out China early for hiding the onset of the pandemic from the world the W.H.O has not only caused incalculable harm but has lost the credibility of the world. China is a repeat offender, it did not warn the world in time during the SARS outbreak and got away with the gross negligence then. It has done it again now and this is becoming a pattern. The Communist Party of China (CPC) considers pandemics to be global embarrassment instead of global health risk and tries to hide it from the world as long as possible and the W.H.O under the very controversial Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (TAG) makes it convenient for them to do as they wish. The outbreak of COVID19 started in November 2019 in Wuhan and public health measures of containment were initiated on January 23, 2020! Instead of calling out China for gross negligence which thrust the rest of the world into an avoidable pandemic by allowing unhindered international travel all these days, the W.H.O praised China for its quick response and creditable containment efforts! What is going on? Is the rest of the world blind?

Honestly, TAG has become a puppet in the hands of CPC and needs to go immediately. He has failed to show leadership when required and has lost our trust. He seems to be more concerned about the Chinese interest than about the world interest and merely stopping the US$ 6 billion American contribution to W.H.O is not the answer. It may in fact be counterproductive and as the Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Taro Aso feels the organisation can become a Chinese Health Organisation instead of remaining an unbiased Word Health Organisation. 

China, by becoming an irresponsible powerhouse is now threatening the world order. By its heft as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council it did not allow a discussion on the pandemic at such a crucial juncture. Its Belt and Road design of economic expansion will leave a string of nations in neck deep Chinese debt, and never able to oppose it in the United Nations. The fact that it is selling flawed test kits and substandard Personal Protection Equipment (PPEs) to the world and further adding insult to injury should not go unnoticed. Both big powers and emerging economies will have to rethink their China policy and reduce their Chinese dependence. 

The pandemic has involved more countries than the two world wars combined. Not only will it change our societies and our economies but it will usher in a spring cleaning and a new world order. Both the W.H.O and the U.N need to be rejuvenated and vaccinated against Chinese intervention. The world is paying a very heavy price for buying cheap Chinese goods and services. Next time they negotiate with China this cost in terms of lost lives and livelihoods must be factored in.