MANY apocalyptic visions are being posted as the new coronavirus, Covid-19, causes devastation across the globe.
One relates to the origin of the phrase, The End of the World.
At this stage this is no certainty, although the deadly impact of the virus on life, jobs and the economy makes it seem like we are getting there.
Another vision is that this terrible virus is the visitation of God’s wrath on the conduct of human beings. This religious invocation, at its more optimistic, proclaims that if we do not reform we will perish which gives hope that if we did we might not.
The totally fatalistic teaches that we must succumb and not battle to survive against God’s wrath.
Things get deeply religious at this stage and it is dangerous ground to tread as those who consider themselves exclusively qualified to picture what they see do not want others to contradict it.
So it is best to leave them to their fate as the rest of humanity tries to use their ingenuity to stay alive and to reform their ways.
A number of countries are making a hash of it, unfortunately, putting them nearer the totally pessimistic fatalist vision.
In America we have staring at us where it has all gone wrong: President Donald Trump. A combination of incompetence and unadulterated lies, of blaming others and continuing with the bad old ways — and yet probably getting re-elected in November. Gone case.
In China we have the authoritarian system. It swiftly sweeps under the carpet a cover-up. Proceeds with little white lies in between to address the grave challenge with a cold efficiency no other country in the world can match.
All other countries fall in between, veering more towards a generally free and open system which reflects much of the way of the world we live in, but with sharp doses of imposition and control, such as lockdowns and social tracing.
In Italy and Spain, we see an initial bungling, resulting in great human tragedy. In the UK, until just recently, the authorities and society did not want to see all that went wrong in Italy and Spain.
Countries in Asia with ready authoritarianism in their democracies, when they could be called a democracy at all, have been able to introduce with greater speed controls on movements and social intercourse.
Even so, such disruptions do not sit easy among their peoples closer in the continuum to the freedoms in Europe and America than to acceptance of state impositions as in China.
There thus emerges the issue of social discipline and responsibility, how it is best engaged. Can we expect social distancing to be observed without contact tracing? Will lockdowns be adhered to without enforcement? Will there be collaboration and commitment to the common good in distressed times?
Let’s take Malaysia. There are many good people arranging food for the needy and protective equipment for front-liners treating the afflicted. But there are also people as in Kuala Lumpur supermarkets who shout at others not keeping their distance as they reach out to grab everything they can lay their hands on.
There are those on self-quarantine who think it does not include going out to join the queue for nasi kandar at a Mamak shop.
There are many who still flout the MCO, some not allowing their social life to be disturbed, others for the thrill of not getting caught, thinking it is all harmless fun.
Yet if there were to be a spike in Covid-19 cases they would be among the first to say how the authorities are not managing the deadly crisis well enough.
Last week I sat through a three-hour discussion on the severe cash flow problems of SMEs and the absolute need for government help without once hearing any suggestion on how the government is to raise the money — until I intervened.
We are in it together. The Singapore spirit Malaysians laud but do not emulate. We must love our country more. Particular needs can be met when we collaborate with commitment for the common good.
On the contrary, expletives are used against the authorities for being useless and — on top of it — for being a backdoor government only interested in playing politics as it addressed, not exclusively mind you, the needs of the people at the bottom of the heap in our society.
I am no apologist for the government. But this is the only one we have at this point of existential crisis for the country. It is our social responsibility to work with the government through the crisis.
The prime minister is holding the fort well in a calm and organised manner. He gets able support from the defence, finance and other ministers, as well as from Bank Negara which has done a superlative job of enabling greater liquidity in the banking system at time of greatest need.
We have a very able and dedicated director-general of Health.
We expect the team to perform, but we should not go about undermining them for particular reasons of business interests, political and individual dislike and so on.
The tabligh congregation took place from Feb 27 to March 1 while the country was in political crisis. The failure of governance during that period was one reason why Covid-19 became a greater challenge. We do not want to have something like that happen again when the pandemic is spreading but just might be brought under some control.
There have been idiotic and stupid things like warm water cures, identifiably spraying about in expensive protective suits, advice on how wives should speak and behave towards their husbands during the MCO, but we should not allow them to define what the government is trying to do — even if the ministers concerned should shut up or work in the office (or at home) instead of causing public disdain for the government.
Back to what this all means, clearly we want to be closer to the more optimistic than to the fatalist pessimistic scenario.
In the real world we do not want to be like America whose governmental and social behaviour points to a catastrophe of epic proportions, in loss of lives, loss of jobs and collapse of the economy.
One thing is for sure. America will afterwards no longer be the world’s largest economy. The end of America as the number one global power.
Neither do we want to be like China, even as it becomes the number one global power, in how we conduct our social and political life. We do not want an authoritarian system. We do not want big brother watching you all the time.
But we have to respond to the call of social responsibility and accept limitations to freedom during times of crisis, always knowing that we are still a democracy, will fight for it, and the government does not have carte blanche.
Neither do we.
The writer, a former NST group editor, returns to write on local and international political affairs