by Chandra Muzaffar
We
are inundated with an avalanche of information on the novel coronavirus
infection. Within this avalanche, there is a lot of “news” that is clearly
false.
Those
responsible for such news can be classified into two categories at least. The
first comprises mischief-makers who derive some cheap thrill by generating and
disseminating fake news that creates fear and causes panic among the people. The law should deal severely with such
individuals.
The
second category may have a political agenda of sorts. The purpose may be to
cast China in a bad light, to tarnish its image, to project the Chinese
government as incompetent and even dishonest. The false information manipulated
by this group may be very similar to the one utilised by the first category.
Both
categories allege that the government lied about the number of fatalities which
they contend run into thousands. They suggest that the authorities were slow in
responding to the crisis caused by the virus. Attempts to reveal the “truth”
about what was really happening in Wuhan the epicentre of the crisis by some
doctors and journalists have been suppressed and the “whistle blowers” punished.
It
is not just the Chinese authorities that have refuted these and other
allegations. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has publicly commended the
Chinese government for its “swift action” and its “extraordinary measures” in
containing the infection. The government has attempted to be as transparent as
possible from the outset and has provided accurate information to the people.
It was the Director-General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanam Ghebreyesus, who stated emphatically that there was no need for other countries to
restrict travel and trade unnecessarily. The coronavirus, he argued, should be
combated with “ facts not fear”
And
indeed some of the facts are simply amazing. Chinese scientists were incredibly
fast in identifying the genome sequence. Together with their Russian
counterparts a Russia-China vaccine is in the making. Chinese architects and engineers have also
built a state of the art hospital in Wuhan in just 9 days. Designed to tackle
the coronavirus outbreak, the Huoshenshan Hospital has a thousand beds and
medical staff drawn from the armed forces. The Chinese government is building
another hospital with 1,500 beds which will begin functioning on the 6th
of February.
Facts
like these mean nothing to those with a political agenda. The motives that shape
their agenda take precedence over everything. There is a primary motive out of
which has developed a secondary motive. Discrediting China is part of a larger
geo-political drive that seeks to thwart China’s ascendancy. The aim is to
ensure that the present hegemon, the United States of America (USA) remains on
top at all costs. A host of measures and moves --- some economic, some
technological, some related to security and politics, others linked to culture and
human rights --- have been adopted by those who are hell-bent on perpetuating
their hegemonic power. This is why some
of the distortions about the current coronavirus threat should be seen in the
light of disinformation about the alleged persecution of the Uighurs in China
and the so-called suppression of the people of Hong Kong. The name of the game is the same: it is the
targeting of China.
This
primary motive has now given rise to a secondary motive. In the course of
fighting the coronavirus, groups in certain countries are displaying negative
sentiments towards Chinese people as such. This impacts adversely upon
inter-community relations both at the global and national level. At a time when
China and the Chinese are leaving large footprints all over the planet, a
deeper understanding of the civilisation and its citizens is what the world
needs. It is not in the interest of inter-civilizational harmony to view a
community in its entirety as an adversary and try to isolate it. Similarly, in
multi-ethnic societies with Chinese minorities the checking of the spread of a
virus should not be used as a justification to stereotype and stigmatize a
community.
Seen
against this backdrop, Malaysia, China’s neighbour with a significant Chinese
minority has done well in managing the post coronavirus situation. It has
accorded priority to the health and well-being of its people and at the same
time handled this cross-boundary crisis in a calm manner without any hysteria.
It has been sensitive to the feelings of China and its people. Once again,
Malaysia has demonstrated that it is possible to protect our sovereignty while
respecting the dignity and integrity of a dear neighbour whose friendship we
cherish.
Dr
Chandra Muzaffar is the President of the International Movement for a Just
World (JUST)
Malaysia.
4
February 2020.
