Practically every living human on this planet has stopped to pay attention to COVID-19. The pandemic has shaken the world to its core. Governments and global institutions struggled to provide a unified direction on how to prevent further transmission of the virus. Many governments locked down countries and halted their economies to control its spread and the resulting death rates. Then came the race to avoid a global financial and economic meltdown.
We are not out of the woods. Quite the contrary, in fact. While countries continue to lift restrictive measures, globally the number of infections and deaths are surging again. According to WHO’s director general, it took more than three months for the world to see one million confirmed infections but just eight days in June to see the most recent one million cases.
The lack of a concerted effort on a global scale is deeply shocking. From dubious statistics, to conspiracy theories, political posturing and tit-for-tat about the origins of the virus, have we seen it all?
If there ever was a time to show global solidarity and global leadership, surely this must have been the time. Instead, it’s to each their own as governments continue to shape their individual approach in response to the crisis.
A measure of their success or failure has yet to be determined. Meanwhile, we had to witness irresponsible political rhetoric and the firing of verbal missiles between states. Thankfully, the ‘drink bleach’ theorists were limited to the usual suspects.
Change towards a healthier, kinder and more caring society starts with us
Lifestyle changes were forced upon billions of people by a new, invisible enemy.
The ‘new normal’ has become a feared, perhaps overused, term to describe the world we were told to expect after the lifting of restrictions. It was not easy to adjust, for some more than others.
Will the new normal lead to better societies? Will it influence mindset and prejudice? Alas, I fear it will not. In fact, we have witnessed old habits return in just a flash. A Maltese girl, Martha Attard, was only recently the subject of vitriolic commentary for daring to represent Malta at a global beauty contest, her only ‘crime’ being the dark colour of her skin.
The new normal has proven to be ineffective in the fight against discrimination, racism and online bullying. It has proven to be equally ineffective in promoting a truly democratic style of governance based on transparency, sound ethics, robust values and sustainability.
The new normal would have been welcome if it were to bring about a sense of proportion in political discourse or the stamping out of politics of convenience, nepotism and cronyism.
Arrogance, lies, fake news, abuse of power, obstruction of justice, inequality, overdevelopment and political tribalism have all remained unfazed by the new normal. Hate speech, irrational prejudice, social stigma, greed, corruption, environmental destruction and disrespect to heritage are just as unfazed. These, and so many other despicable behaviours, have already inflicted severe and incalculable damage to our society.
Change towards a healthier, kinder and more caring society starts with us. For example, it took a man of immense character and determination, Neil Agius, just under 30 hours of constant swimming to cross the 103km stretch between Sicily and St Julian’s, all in the name of environmental activism. He hopes to raise awareness about the effect of our bad habits on the seas around us and to see good habits replace the bad.
His achievement serves as motivation for others to take the first step towards something positive, no matter how small and no matter what it is.
We can take a leaf out of Neil’s incredible achievement or we can allow our bad habits to continue freewheeling. Let’s take it upon ourselves to call upon those in power, reminding them of their duty to listen and to act, to protect the vulnerable and to work towards a more caring, compassionate and socially-just society.
Chris Scicluna, ex-Broadcasting Authority board member