Governments Caught Between Their Image, Safety of Citizens

Opinion

March 30th, 6:16am

Abdulrahman Al-Rashed

Abdulrahman Al-Rashed - Abdulrahman Al-Rashed is the former general manager of Al-Arabiya television. He is also the former editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat, and the leading Arabic weekly magazine Al-Majalla. He is also a senior columnist in the daily newspapers Al-Madina and Al-Bilad.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has revealed a political crisis no less serious than the disease itself. Some governments have been presenting false statistics regarding the number of cases and deaths in their country and even filtering information issued by hospitals. All this is being done in an attempt to preserve a positive image, both internally and externally. The disaster has been even greater in countries that not only kept silent but also refrained from taking decisions that could tarnish their touristic or media image, and instead issued statements of reassurance, denial, and mockery while promoting conspiracy theories. These practices were not only harmful to the peoples of those countries, but also to other countries, especially those with large populations in other parts of the world. As the world seeks cooperation and puts differences aside to prevent a greater disaster that may further threaten mankind, the Americans and Chinese have plunged themselves into a major propaganda war. Social media is full of news on the huge medical achievements and successes from China, met by a smear campaign from the US; even though President Donald Trump says that he has called his Chinese counterpart and they have agreed to cooperate. This cooperation came after last week’s G20 videoconference, which was chaired by King Salman and attended by both the American and Chinese leaders. This summit was the major framework for collective international action. Saudi Arabia requested to convene the meeting seven months earlier than the official G20 summit due to the exceptional circumstances. International cooperation is necessary because the pandemic is neither a Chinese nor a Western plot, but a threat to humanity everywhere. Many governments are now retracting from their initial stance, after realizing the high price of lying and obfuscation the crisis with false information. Most countries have also taken decisive actions, such as closing their borders, after having abstained from doing so because they were afraid of a certain image; looking under siege or as administrative failures in the world's eyes. As a result, the pandemic has spread more in countries that were less willing to come forward, although this does not mean that other countries are immune. Iran, after two months of obfuscation and lies, is now revising its decisions and official rhetoric, but it still refuses to stop its activities in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen. In the meantime, the Americans were quick to withdraw their forces from several military bases and areas. They also withdrew some of their diplomats from Iraq to reduce the risk of casualties. In January, the American administration also took the pandemic lightly, before realizing that it posed a real threat, and so moved to fix the situation. The decisions in the US are complicated by the limited power of the federal state. Nevertheless, in a rare move, the two competing political parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, have agreed to put their differences aside and work together under the dome of Congress, issuing a set of decisions to save the country’s health and economic situation. This is not a time for tight competition. Governments that still hide the correct figures and avoid taking difficult decisions will pay a high price because we do not yet know the depth of the crisis or how long it is going to persist. It is possible that the pandemic will continue for a long time or make a comeback later on. Thus, honesty is not only a virtue but also a necessity. Due to the fact that available medical equipment is limited, the World Health Organization and other international organizations will give priority to the countries that declare that they are more affected than others. This has prompted some of these countries to open up and choose to protect their citizens, rather than their own image.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2206736/abdulrahman-al-rashed/governments-caught-between-their-image-safety-citizens