Most of us couldn’t wait to see the back of 2020, as the pandemic decimated lives and the economy and forced us to change the way we live. An economy often running on steroids was forced to shut down as the authorities scrambled to keep the virus at bay.
During his year-end message, Prime Minister Robert Abela sounded an optimistic note and said he wanted the country to return to “business as usual” by May.
While we should all do our part to try to consign this deadly virus to the history books, get back on our feet and get the wheels turning, in reality we should ask ourselves a tough question: do we really want to return to what we understand to be “business as usual”? Have we really learnt anything from the bludgeoning caused by COVID-19?
Does that mean we want to return to hypercapitalism, where workers are nothing more than well-oiled cogs in a consumption machine? Does that mean importing cheap labour and exploiting workers, persisting with unbridled construction, decimating what’s left of the environment for profit? Does it mean we continue treating the vulnerable and the emarginated as inconvenient footnotes? If that’s the case, then we could well be fast-tracking our own implosion.
Does that mean we want to return to hypercapitalism, where workers are nothing more than well-oiled cogs in a consumption machine?
Business models and consumer behaviour patterns were severely disrupted in 2020 as no longer could they operate by the mantra that tomorrow would turn out much like yesterday.
Though businesses struggled, many adapted to the changes and cut down on unnecessary costs. Meanwhile, many workers managed to efficiently shift their tools to work from home. Many of us realised that sometimes we can be more productive working from home instead of wasting hours in traffic. In the process, it gave us an idea of a decelerated lifestyle which often gave precedence to human well-being over profit.
But in the last few weeks, there are already clear signs that we learnt little from the semi-lockdown. The traffic levels are practically back to the pre-pandemic chaos and many businesses clearly yearn to return to profitability (at the expense of workers’ conditions) in what will once again be a veritable rat race to the bottom.
It is encouraging to read Abela’s opinion piece today citing the importance of a ‘green deal’ yet there is little indicating we are really prepared to invest in a green economy.
Our “business” should also focus on a concerted drive to cut pollution and in the process promote a healthier lifestyle.
This is why the government should take heed of a report released by the Curia in November, which called on the government to measure the economy through socio-economic indicators as well as through economic growth. The Curia report identifies six key dimensions for measuring quality of life: income and wealth; housing; education and skills; jobs; health and lifestyle; and the environment.
Of course, the market economy remains vital, but it’s also important to understand the importance of diversification. The coronavirus crisis has provided us with the opportunity to make our economies more sustainable.
It has also forced many of us to understand the importance of solidarity, and of caring for the vulnerable. We need to understand that a decent society is built on protecting the weakest.
COVID-19 has shown us societies are willing to make radical, overnight changes, provided they serve the common good.
We can only hope that 2021 is not a repeat of the “business as usual” mantra that has harmed our quality of life. The return to the pre-crisis status quo is something we should reconsider.