The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly disrupted life worldwide, and descended on humanity like a curse from above, a devilish and deadly disease, seemingly an act of homicide against men and women everywhere.
It has introduced fear, dread and anxiety into life in ways we could not have imagined only months ago, and disrupted the normal process of life in incredible ways.
Only months ago I was not wearing a mask every moment out of doors, scrubbing my hands dozens of times a day, mopping with bleach solutions inside and outside my home, polishing doorknobs with anti-bacterial wipes, keeping 2m and more distance between myself and others, and risking condemnation if I did not do all of these things.
Life has changed, apparently permanently, and in no way for the better.
What disturbs almost as much is how the comments on this disease by the worried masses are often extremely negative and exasperated (understandably), outwardly biased, or simply politicized in extreme ways.
Such extremism seems to be the likelihood in times like these, and yes, we must understand how people feel, but that does not excuse obstinate, jaundiced and antagonizing attacks.
Probably here I should mention WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’ recent attacks on Taiwan, which veered into the baseless and unfounded, and were in sum denounced worldwide.
I appreciated President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) response to this on Facebook. No country should be “attacked” at a time like this, and the simple fact is that as emotions run high, we must control our responses.
Also over-politicized is the approach to China as the source of the virus, and Taiwan’s lack of a role in the WHO and its associated assemblies.
While China can and perhaps must be criticized for its role in all of this, at the same time we must control our reactions, and extend a humanitarian hand of assistance.
After all, China has also suffered during all of this. I denounce those who wish ill on China as a result of this disaster.
Nor is this the time to be hooting for Taiwan’s inclusion in the WHO and any and all other groups Taiwan is excluded from. By its example so far during the crisis, Taiwan has been recognized globally, and made a great contribution to humankind.
I do not endorse the exclusion of Taiwan from the WHO and other collectives, but now is not the time for bureaucratic, jurisdictional rambling and skirmishing.
This turns this issue into a standard policy argument that is commonly made in normal political times, but should be avoided in an emergency. That which is municipal, national, political or communal should be dealt with in these times coincidentally, conjointly and collectively, in the best ways we can.
We should avoid notions of “sovereignty,” “self-determining,” “autonomy,” “populist” and the like during this emergency.
Although China’s actions and behavior have been difficult and often unwarranted in terms of this crisis, now is not the time to launch a quarrel. There is too much else we must address.
In spite of all I say here, there have been constructive and helpful comments about how we must move ahead.
EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said recently that “coordination and cooperation need to be our main focus. Now is the time to join forces in order to stop this epidemic. It is crucial that the entire international community focus on preparedness and response efforts to fight coronavirus, keeping international solidarity in mind.”
These are the comments we must pay attention to.
David Pendery is an associate professor at National Taipei University of Business.
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