Comments

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has rightly urged young people to act responsibly to help prevent the spread of coronavirus within the community. While young people appear less susceptible to the severe effects of the virus, the PM has urged them to continue going to school and if not at school then to stay off the streets and not to congregate with their friends. Why? So that young people do not become a transmission path to older Australians for whom the virus is more deadly. Young people should act responsibly to help protect the wellbeing of older Australians. Yet it was not so many months ago that the PM was urging some of these same young people to stay in school and not joint the global student strike over inaction on Climate Change. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who started the global student movement, effectively made the point when she told world leaders at the United Nations: You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words and yet I'm one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairytales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!.... “You are failing us, but the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you and if you choose to fail us, I say: We will never forgive you” Young people expect Prime Ministers and (older)government leaders to act urgently on climate change to protect the wellbeing of young people and future generations. When we emerge from the horrors of the corona virus pandemic, will the Government commit to urgent and substantial action to cut emissions? Will we have learnt that ’going early and going hard’ to stem a pandemic, applies equally to reducing carbon emissions that are already killing thousands through extreme temperatures, unprecedented bushfires and severe storms and flooding. Or will we return to “talk about money and the fairytales of eternal economic growth”? As Greta concluded: ’We will not let you get away with this’.

Brother, that's the way out.... Surely agree.

The two most important sentences in this whole article in my view are at the end. 1. "This would be an opportunity for us as a country to strategically reposition our economy for a sustainable future." 2. "This would require reliable, honest, transparent and accountable political leadership." Questions arise - 1. Does government and the entire citizenry recognise this crisis as an opportunity to strategically reposition the economy for a sustainable future? If not, how do you make them recognise that? If yes, how do you master that collective recognition towards a national and holistic commitment to strategically position the economy for a sustainable future? 2. Reliable, honest, transparent and accountable political leadership is presumably not in place - how do you ensure this is put in place first as the means to the end above?

The main Opposition Party, SODELPA, does not present a credible alternative way forward

Thank you very much for opening this space for discussion! I am an International Development postgraduate student currently looking at the potential impacts of the COVID-19 crisis in the relationships between China and Latin America. Following on Roche and Tarpey's piece on March 23th, I believe the present crisis can easily be seen as a critical junction - one of those key and unexpected moments in history that hold the potential to accelerate processes of social change. In the case of China-Latin America relations, it seems that the coronavirus crisis can represent a turning point in the long-lasted hegemony of the U.S. over the region (which has already shown signs of its deterioration over the last few decades). On that scenario, China, with its attractive funding and 'flexible' parameters, steps in to fill the void left by the North American superpower. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) might represent one of the landmarks in the transition. I would appreciate any comments on the matter. Looking at the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of social change theory seems to be a fascinating exercise!

I am Papua New Guinean first and foremost. Until I fully understand, appreciate and situate the implications of what that means, I cannot talk about a concept like Melanesia (a racially-charged concept of my blackness; I own my blackness but refuse to be reduced to just the pigment of my skin!) or Pasifika.

I'm not seeing solutions. Various governments both democratically elected or otherwise have failed in progressing Fiji. So it is likely whoever is in power won't have a ready solution. It is evident tourism will be badly affected in the foreseeable future and this will be similar for countries like NZ that rely heavily on this sector. To generate some thought, assuming a loan props the economy in the short term, what is required and how to restore the Fijian economy post-Covid? Thoughts welcome!

Thanks Joel for this valuable summary of the current debate on WHO. As you say, while there may well be criticisms of the WHO, right at the moment it must be an "all hands on deck" approach for those who are concerned with the health of the world community and one would have thought attention by all governments needs to be on managing the crisis rather than using valuable time looking for scapegoats. It seems astonishing that the US President at this very moment allocates his staff resources for reviews of WHO resources rather than focusing on the very serious issues within the USA. It should also be said that the USA was always going to be hit hard by the pandemic because, unlike almost all other advanced economies, it lacks a universal health scheme and a nation-wide population health approach. Certainly, some presidents might have been able to work differently with the states and cities who have some, very limited, population health capacities rather than engage in arguments and blaming, and thus achieved a degree of coordination and cooperation. But the limited and declining funding of national bodies such as the CDC and the lack of a universal health approach was always going to make response very challenging. While it is easy for the US President to criticise the WHO, a more useful strategy (but highly unlikely!!!) would be to pursue a national health insurance scheme for the US.

I wish Tuvaluan free of the pandemic COVID-19. Stay home, stay safe, avoid confined areas, avoid crowd gathering and avoid personal contact. Better be safe than sorry.

This situation is a result of mismanagement from November 2006 by current regime. Lack of genuine and good leadership and appointment of incompetent people in high profile offices including Ministers in particular Minister of Finance or Economy. This has left Fiji without funds to deal with any crisis including COVID-19, cyclones. I hope people of Fiji who genuinely think about their country and its future generations will act in uniformity to remove the current regime of thugs and restore proper democracy where each leader representing them by their constituency is held accountable for what they sit and do in political positions. For Fiji to recover and change course for positive sustainable development and growth, the first thing that should happen is the removal of current regime through a proper democratic election. The current regime has run out of ideas.

Bullseye

We are hosting a Portuguese couple who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19 in North Queensland. They mentioned that some small farms here have had to put off workers and throw away fruit and vegetables because they are unable to provide to their usual outlets - markets and restaurants. Apart from an appalling waste of food this has led to a crisis in the travellers here on work visas and even a Facebook page called 'Adopt a Backpacker'. They have no resources for rent and food now, and many do not have 'mummy and daddy' to support them as some have suggested. I do not understand why markets and restaurants as essential services are not allowed to be open as long as they observe the protocols for COVID-19 and restaurants supply take-away only? Are big supermarkets blocking this? I think we need more sensibility and more compassion and generosity during these times.