A sane speech — yes, it all comes down to us

China is back to business now as images show people sauntering on the streets, traffic blockades and shopping malls coming to life again after it had locked down Wuhan at only 400 reported cases of coronavirus (while in reality the number was 2,500). The key was being pro-active.

While it was the lockdown that helped, the role and significance of the nation’s conduct and compliance couldn’t be less emphasised. Their 5,000-year-old history and the unbroken link of traditional Confucian values such as filial piety, obedience and discipline, were both the catalysts and pillars for government relief efforts.

The result of their view of the government as a paternal entity and, therefore, a strict adherence to and compliance with the different directives stands in front of us — as an example and inspiration to follow.

PM Imran Khan’s address to the nation last week made complete sense. The juxtaposition between the magnitude of coronavirus aid packages between Pakistan ($8 billion) and that of the United States ($2 trillion) was crucial. That notwithstanding such a huge stimulus package, the cases there continue to rise testifies to the fact that the issue isn’t only about money and government resources. The element of how strongly the populace follows instructions given by health experts in general, and governments in particular, plays a key role.

While I was and continue to be one of the staunchest proponents of a complete lockdown, we cannot ignore our resources, indeed. Any lockdown that leaves those 25% people bereft of even daily wages will certainly not work. In this regard, the formation of the Coronavirus Relief Tigers is encouraging and is a step in the right direction. The Coronavirus Relief Fund retains significant importance too. Pakistan’s philanthropic passion knows no bound. There is hope that the government will get a helping hand in the form of funds so the amount stipulated of Rs12,000 that has been stipulated for deserving households can be at least sustained, if not increased.

The government can only do so much. The tendency of a major part of our population to play the blame game and their inclination to not assume responsibility is a commonly observed phenomenon. It took more than 20 deaths and 2,000 cases for most of our population to realise that this was something serious.

Had we sensed the seriousness of the situation beforehand, taken responsibility, and had not thrown parties or held large gatherings as the Covid-19 ravaged our neighbours, things might not have reached this point. But there is still a certain segment of our society that is not taking the required and necessary preventive measures. For such people: this is a collective responsibility! Try to understand this. It is not only that you will get affected. But you will also make others around you — those you know and don’t know but come in contact with — suffer as well. It is your religious, moral, societal, and national duty to stop socialising.

Moreover, misplaced religious fervour should not make one ignore the warnings from public health authorities. Indulging in negligence purely out of ignorance puts scores at risk. This is real. Nobody is special or immune to this virus. We are as vulnerable to it as those dying in Italy every day.

The ball is in our court right now. The government’s decision to continue a lockdown has indeed proved to be the right strategy. But we shouldn’t expect for it to be extended to another six to 10 weeks which is the time period that has proven to bring a significant drop in the spread of the virus.

This is a test for our nation. A collective effort based on a collective realisation of the situation and concerted action is required to fight this disease. We are resilient. We have defeated worse calamities. If we think, act and behave sensibly, we’ll get through this one as well.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 9^th, 2020.

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