Columns

After managing to contain the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic to reasonable levels, today the Government is faced with the daunting task of controlling the spread of the virus as the third wave has resulted in an increased number of patients and deaths.

The demand on the country’s resources has further contributed to the strain on an already overburdened economy. The public health system is creaking with the lack of hospital beds, ventilators and even ambulances to transport the sick.

At a time when the Government is stretched to the maximum, one would think that the Government needs all the help it can get to face what is undoubtedly a national emergency. It needs the optimum cooperation of the country’s people in following health protocol and the input of health experts, together with the support of all shades of political opinions.

However strangely the Government is fighting shy of accepting the offers of cooperation from the different stakeholders and continues to want to operate on its own. At the same time Government spokesmen in response to Opposition criticisms call for the Opposition to cooperate in the task of addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the Government’s idea of cooperation is completely different from the Opposition. Last week during the adjournment debate on the COVID-19 situation in the country, the Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera told Parliament the only cooperation the Government needed was for the Opposition to keep their mouths shut and allow the health authorities and the armed forces to do their job. That is enough. No other cooperation is necessary, said Mr Amaraweera.

Speaking the previous day at the same debate, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa called upon the country to unite to fight the third wave of the COVID pandemic.  He lamented that unfortunately the Government had politicised the process of dealing with the pandemic. He offered the support of the Opposition, as he had done several times in the past, to deal with the pandemic. He went on to list some of the efforts that the Opposition had made with the international community to help the country in its efforts to address the pandemic.

Sajith Premadasa pledged to cooperate with the Government but said he would do so only in relation to systemic efforts but would not support decisions in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic based on political considerations.

The Opposition Leader also urged the Government to prioritise its expenditures. While welcoming the Government’s decisions of repairing KFIR jets at a cost of US$ 50 million and setting up exercise centres all over the country at a cost of US$ 650 million, he urged that these sums be diverted to current COVID-19 requirements and to postpone the two projects.

He called upon the Government to divert all non-urgent expenditure to get down vaccines and COVID-19 related equipment. Sajith Premadasa also criticised the failure of the Government to give fiscal stimulus packages unlike in other countries.

In conclusion he also deplored the actions of the Government in creating religious tensions by unfairly denying citizens of their burial rights during the pandemic to appease racist elements.

But surprisingly the Government is not only not heeding the Opposition’s calls for a joint effort to combat the COVID-19 virus but it even refuses to obtain the views of medical and health experts. Professor Tissa Vitharana, a leader of one of the constituent parties in the Government and an expert virologist with nearly three decades of experience working with the World Health Organisation, is completely kept out of deliberations relating to the pandemic.

The opinion of Dr. Sudarshini Fernandopulle, the State Minister in charge of COVID-19, seems to be not given the importance it deserves, while the Sri Lanka Medical Association, the General Medical Officers Association, the Public Health Inspectors Association are reduced to writing letters or holding press conferences to express their views.

The likes of Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Dr. Paba Palihawadane and Dr. Jayaruwan Bandara who played a leading role in combatting the first phase are missing in action. Their experience would have greatly benefitted the health officials who are valiantly heading the current efforts to battle the pandemic.

In the recent incident where the decision to enforce a lockdown in Piliyandala by the health authorities was undone overnight by a political hand is a clear indication that politicians are interfering in what is a task essentially for the health authorities. Another incident involving political considerations that comes to mind is the funeral of the late Arumugam Thondaman, where crowds were not following health protocol.

It is a tragedy that the country has so much expertise that can be harnessed to face the biggest challenge of our times but is un-used for no rational reason. On the other hand a joint effort by the political actors can do much to mitigate the situation.  For example if a joint appeal is made by the Government and the Opposition to the international community it will undoubtedly have a greater chance of success than a solo effort made by the Government. (javidyusuf@gmail.com)