DailyPost 1927
POWER, INDISCIPLINE & VARIANTS – IHU DISCOVERED IN FRANCE
The COVID-19 and the world’s cat and mice game seem to be unending. Every new variant seems to challenge the national priorities, the health care system, civilizational values, the prevalent culture, the sense of discipline and the ability to look beyond today. It is also challenging the country’s vision to govern through legislation, right policies and more than apt enforcement. COVID-19 would remain a debatable topic in country after country for a long time, as nearly everyone has an experience with it, directly or indirectly. One is convinced of the fact that COVID-19 will not have the last laugh, but our touch and go with life, death, disease and sanity might not be the best way of dealing with things. Might be these should be the days of all representative national govt. being run directly on the advice of the experts, supported fully by law enforcement agencies on whatever is decided to be enforced.
France threw up yet another variant by name IHU. At least 12 cases of the new variant have been reported near Marseilles. It has been linked to travel to Cameroon. Whether this would turn out to be another variant of concern only time will tell. The IHU variant is ”a typical combination” with ”46 mutations & 37 deletions” India and the world are still battling with the Delta and Omicron variants, the latter getting more and more predominant with every passing day. Though the behaviour of variants has been changing, has our behaviour remained exactly the same? Indifferent and unresponsive, till hit by death so to say. Have we learned from our lessons; individual, family, community, governments and the nation itself? Has the governing class picked up any cues?
COVID-19 pandemic has convincingly proved that indiscipline has become our DNA. Even the gravest of threats cannot change it. It is now genetic and hence endemic. It has reached an extent that it can be declared our national character and the most celebrated element of our prevalent culture. Wearing masks has become such a difficult thing even after going through the same drill for two years. Duplicity is another of our characteristics, proclaim what is right and then do whatever you feel like. Who follows the grandiose declarations of the COVID appropriate behaviour? If you go out after making those great declarations, does it impact your conscience that it is not being followed. The mass media for whatever it constitutes and connotes cannot sway anything worthwhile.
COVID times witnessed the longest agitations of all times; the farmers agitation. Power continues to remain as maniacal as ever. Power with a few thousands / lakhs of our countrymen lost is still an equally sweet power. ’COVID and Power’ can turn out to be another bestseller. The pre second wave human inferno is turning out to be the January blues of 2022, when the OMICRON third wave seems to have already set in. Curfew by night and corona by day seems to be the clarion call, courtesy public rallies. The public rallies have to happen, whatever come may. Digital campaigning does not satisfy our political class, however much the spending is on it. With the focus on gaining power and sustaining power, where is the scope left for COVID appropriate governance.
CORONA CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO COME IN THE WAY OF MARCH TO POWER.
Sanjay Sahay