Fighting an invisible enemy requires patience, tact and some level of humility. Unfortunately, none of our world leaders are blessed with any of these qualities. They saw this pandemic coming, don't let them tell you otherwise. Willful ignorance or blatant arrogance - call it what you want. But each and every one of the world leaders have blood on their hands. I remember covering this virus in the first week of January. The world was then obsessed with Soleimani's assassination. The virus was barely on anyone's radar. And truth be told, even I never expected the virus to go global. But hey, that's why I'm not running for office.
Thankfully, there are people further down the hierarchy who seem much more concerned. I'm talking about provincial head. Governors, chief ministers and mayors - people who are actually getting stuff done. Crises throw up leaders, and we are seeing them...in New York, in Rajasthan and in Kerala. And some villains in places like Lombardy. The pandemic has shown us just how important a strong regional government is. We can't always trust our national leaders to be effective at all times...or even at any given time for that matter. So local governments are our safety net. Take what happened in China for example. A highly centralised government took the decision to lock down a whole province, while the rest of the country remained largely open. Was it effective? China's too secretive to get a definitive answer. But what we do know is that the people of Hubei were not party to this decision. That wouldn't have happened if there was a strong provincial government willing to stand up to the Central power.
In the U.S, Governor Andrew Cuomo is far more inspirational than Trump. Not just because he's got the banter running with his brother/CNN anchor, but because he is actually getting stuff done. Trump is getting slammed left, right and centre for advocating hydroxychloroquine. But Cuomo is advocating for the same drug. He's asking for more HCQ for New York. So why are the reactions different? Because Cuomo was blindsided by the virus, and is now reacting to a crisis he never saw coming. But Trump ignored multiple warnings and sat around with his fingers crossed. Reaction, versus no-action. That's the difference.
Devising strategies is also much easier for regional leaders. Like Mayor Bill de Blasio, who admitted that social distancing was a distant dream in New York. And he was right. Have you seen those subways? Coronavirus should be the least of your worries! Each state is different, in its demography and temperament. A blanket nationwide policy would never work. New York accounts for more than 41% of America's fatalities. How fair would be it be if New York received the same attention as other U.S states?
This is not to say that state governments across the world have been exemplary. In fact, a good number of them failed, and failed miserably. Like in Lombardy, Italy's richest province. Doctors decried that shortage of protective equipment in the province. And there were simply no ventilators to go around. The administration will have to take responsibility for this.
But by and large, most states have fared well, while none of the central governments have. The strike rate is much better for provincial administrations. The future is Federal!
Thankfully, there are people further down the hierarchy who seem much more concerned. I'm talking about provincial head. Governors, chief ministers and mayors - people who are actually getting stuff done. Crises throw up leaders, and we are seeing them...in New York, in Rajasthan and in Kerala. And some villains in places like Lombardy. The pandemic has shown us just how important a strong regional government is. We can't always trust our national leaders to be effective at all times...or even at any given time for that matter. So local governments are our safety net. Take what happened in China for example. A highly centralised government took the decision to lock down a whole province, while the rest of the country remained largely open. Was it effective? China's too secretive to get a definitive answer. But what we do know is that the people of Hubei were not party to this decision. That wouldn't have happened if there was a strong provincial government willing to stand up to the Central power.
In the U.S, Governor Andrew Cuomo is far more inspirational than Trump. Not just because he's got the banter running with his brother/CNN anchor, but because he is actually getting stuff done. Trump is getting slammed left, right and centre for advocating hydroxychloroquine. But Cuomo is advocating for the same drug. He's asking for more HCQ for New York. So why are the reactions different? Because Cuomo was blindsided by the virus, and is now reacting to a crisis he never saw coming. But Trump ignored multiple warnings and sat around with his fingers crossed. Reaction, versus no-action. That's the difference.
Devising strategies is also much easier for regional leaders. Like Mayor Bill de Blasio, who admitted that social distancing was a distant dream in New York. And he was right. Have you seen those subways? Coronavirus should be the least of your worries! Each state is different, in its demography and temperament. A blanket nationwide policy would never work. New York accounts for more than 41% of America's fatalities. How fair would be it be if New York received the same attention as other U.S states?
This is not to say that state governments across the world have been exemplary. In fact, a good number of them failed, and failed miserably. Like in Lombardy, Italy's richest province. Doctors decried that shortage of protective equipment in the province. And there were simply no ventilators to go around. The administration will have to take responsibility for this.
But by and large, most states have fared well, while none of the central governments have. The strike rate is much better for provincial administrations. The future is Federal!
