Looking above petty Covid-19 squabbles

The entire world is grappling with pandemic, trying to fight it out without the necessary tools. This invisible killer, indiscriminate and uncontrollable in nature, threatens every individual, irrespective of race, colour, creed or religion. It cannot be connected to or with anything.

It is coronawireless, colourless, and callous.

China, where this virus first emerged, has successfully quelled the outbreak, lifted the lockdown from Wuhan City and then remarkably helped more than 90 countries including Britain and Spain. Italy has expressed gratitude to China for lending a helping hand. Europe and the US, with the highest death tolls, are still struggling with this war. China has earned admiration for its discipline and competence the world over, while Donald Trump in his usual manner politicised the issue as a “Chinese virus” for his own forthcoming electioneering purposes. He didn’t take the virus seriously at first, thinking that this would only affect the country where it originated or some other countries, but not the US. No doubt to his chagrin, the crisis compelled him to request his economic rival to supply millions of face masks and other medical equipment.

It is worth noting that the World Health Organisation has advised that the virus should not be linked with any specific country or region, and praised China for its transparency. The world will need China’s experience and contribution in fighting this deadly menace now and in the future.

Sophisticated weapons for warfare, nuclear, intercontinental ballistic missiles and even jet fighters are all useless in this war, which some politicians aptly compare with the Second World War.

This global crisis is not going to be over soon or easily. The blame game, started prematurely, will continue in earnest after the fact, but it is likely to be one-sided because Western-biased politicians, led by the United States and its allies would be ganging up to stigmatise China.

The cause of the virus is still unclear and needs exploring further. Initially, we were told about the eating of animals by the people in Wuhan and stories relating to the fish and live animal market in the city. But different camps are making a myriad of opposing claims about its origin. China blamed the United States, and vice versa.

However, the global powers should realise that the entire planet stands on the same pedestal against this invisible enemy. This single rickety platform, on which the entirety of mankind has been forced to huddle on, provides a brilliant chance of uniting the nations of the world as one single unit — a task the United Nations has thus far failed to execute effectively.

All nations in the East and in the West together are busily battling to defeat this virus. After achieving victory, pre-Covid-19 problems will still remain to be tackled.

To enumerate them here briefly, the complete withdrawal of the US and Nato soldiers from Afghanistan; human rights of Palestinians and lifting the blockade of Gaza; Apartheid Israel’s illegal settlements and demolition of Palestinian houses; Occupied Kashmir, a flash point, if ever there was one, where the struggle for freedom has been raging with greater intensity for more than 70 years; a decade long strife in Syria requires immediate attention; and last but not least, defeating racism, wherever it rears its ugly head.

Thousands of starving women, children and refugees, weakened by poverty, inequity, corruption and cruelty, will emerge much worse as a consequence of this cruel pandemic.

Once this crisis is over, the world will not be the same. Massive economic and political disruption will take place.

People who lost their jobs, homes and livelihood through no fault of their own, will find it difficult to rebuild their lives after the lockdowns are lifted and the planet gains its freedom. An economic equilibrium and equitable

distribution of global wealth to help the impoverished nations should be on the agenda and assume urgency in order to attain any semblance of peace and prosperity on this globe.

Can the coronavirus unite the world?

The writer is a London-based journalist

Email: n-shah@sky.com