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Helen Ainsley

December 14th, 2020

ESSAY COMPETITION 2ND PLACE: What is the most important lesson for political leaders to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic?

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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Helen Ainsley

December 14th, 2020

ESSAY COMPETITION 2ND PLACE: What is the most important lesson for political leaders to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic?

0 comments | 1 shares

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Written by Melvin Loh Zhi Yuan (2nd place)

Political Leaders Must Stop The Blame Game and Start Working Together to Fight COVID-19 

Golding’s Lord of the Flies tells a story of the quest for survival and rescue by some schoolboys while stranded on an island. However, it was soon before the poor leadership under Ralph led to complete mayhem. The story reflects the pivotal role of leaders in crisis management, especially given the unprecedented scale of COVID-19. With over one million deaths, accompanied by a global recession and retrenchment, there is certainly no room for divisive political rhetoric. The key lesson  here, which some political leaders will never quite learn, is solidarity in combating the virus. Leaders need to address the deep-rooted social divide, strengthen international cooperation in confronting the health crisis and champion for greater openness in our globalised economy.  

First, COVID-19 underscored the dangers of widening social inequality. In Dharavi, the largest slum in Mumbai, crammed squatters with over ten people in a room made curbing the spread of the virus virtually impossible (Safi, 2020). Adding to the problem is the lack of funding for public healthcare, with the Indian government spending only about 1% of its GDP on healthcare (Biswas, 2018). This translates to crowded wards and long waits for treatment for the working class, while the affluent could afford quality private healthcare (Al-Jazeera, 2020). Furthermore, the curse of the caste system left many Dalits entrenched in poverty and working in menial jobs, making this particular group disproportionately vulnerable to a loss of income during COVID-19. Likewise, more than 60% of Mexicans work in the informal sector, and the absence of a social safety net meant that they could not  afford to lose their jobs (Linartas, 2020) (Ganguly, 2020). The livelihoods of the impoverished are at  stake (PLFS, 2018). In light of this, one fundamental idea that leaders must understand is that their equivocation and neglect towards the systemic poverty will magnify social immobility and undermine social stability, thus discourage foreign investments and jeopardise economic growth. On the contrary, promoting greater income equality enhances economic growth through free trade and investments (United Nations, n.d.).

COVID-19 also exposed the fragility in the world’s global supply chain. The  production halt in China’s factories caused significant bottlenecks for many companies globally (Lin, 2020). In the UK’s automotive industry, further disruptions in assembly lines already debilitated by Brexit caused many automakers to cease operations, furloughing nearly 17000 workers (Davies, 2020). With the pandemic causing massive supply shocks and heightening job insecurity worldwide, it fuelled the de-globalisation paradigm. A prominent example is the increasing popularity of Trump’s protectionist policies to save American jobs,at least to the average American (BBC, 2019). However, modern-day Socrates would have likened Trump to a sweet shop owner, denouncing him as a populist. Protectionism is something that Americans want, but not something they need. Political leaders need to understand  that protectionist measures are short-sighted and are ultimately detrimental to  economies. For small and open economies like Singapore with a trade to GDP ratio over 300%, limiting trade was never an option (Macrotrends, n.d.). Larger economies suffer too. Bloomberg (2019) estimates that the US-China trade war would cost the US $316 billion by the end of 2020. Tariffs forced American firms to import raw  materials at higher prices, lowering profit margins (Hass & Denmark, 2020). A trade war during this COVID-19 recession will have a contagion effect on regional trading partners like Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore as shipping volumes fall (Tobin &  Power, 2019). If anything, leaders of all nations need to learn that trade is not a zero sum game and it is in their best interests to embrace free trade. More multilateral trade agreements can diversify and strengthen the global supply chain.  

Additionally, leaders need to learn that in order to tackle the health crisis effectively, international cooperation is essential. A case in point would be China donating over 1000 ventilators to New York state when it had an exigent shortage of medical  equipment (Newburger, 2020). The Alibaba Foundation also contributed over 500000 test kits and 1 million masks to various countries (SCMP, 2020). Beyond medical supplies, global cooperation across countries has facilitated the transfer of  knowledge so that we have the know-how to better combat COVID-19. The World Health Organisation (2020) played an indispensable role in setting clear guidelines like social distancing. When new research in Zhejiang showed that asymptomatic transmission was common, WHO recommended wearing masks to retard the spread of the virus (Aratani, 2020). Leaders who refuse to cooperate are a blight to the global effort. Notably, Trump has threatened to defund the WHO, which further hinders the WHO’s ability to distribute medical supplies and train health workers (Borger, 2020). Similarly, President Bolsonaro’s resistance against WHO’s advice poses a greater challenge to the concerted fight against COVID-19. From his scepticism towards social distancing (Kirby, 2020), to his refusal to impose a nationwide lockdown (Filho, 2020), Brazil has since recorded 4.75 million cases and over 142000 deaths from COVID-19 (CoronaTracker, 2020). As such, leaders around the world need to collaborate with the international community. Or at the very least, cooperate with science. Otherwise, global COVID-19 cases will continue escalating, putting tremendous strain on WHO’s scarce resources and encumbering the battle against the global health crisis. 

In conclusion, the need for unity has never been more compelling than in such volatile times. Beyond the pandemic, pertinent issues like human trafficking and global warming also require a coordinated response from leaders around the world.  Political leaders have to promote unity not only within society but also on the international level. As British Prime Minister Boris Johnson mentioned, “Never again must we wage 193 separate campaigns against the same enemy.” However, cooperation remains an uphill challenge in the face of rising nationalism and political  agenda. If the US and China continue to wage this battle, a Lord of the Flies ending, where three children are killed, would not be unexpected. In view of this, perhaps the more important question is then, whether political leaders are willing to stop politicising this health crisis and learn to cooperate. 

Word Count: 997 

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Image from: https://pk.mashable.com/coronavirus/4925/countries-lifting-covid-19-restrictions-is-a-recipe-for-disaster-warns-who

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