Covid 19 Pandemic and Reconciliation
Sunimal Hettiarachchi
Covid 19 pandemic is spreading all over the world creating many other pandemics. Racism, localism, indigenous rivalry, fake information and mythical beliefs are the other pandemics arisen with Covid 19. Those pandemics are spreading hand in hand around the world along with Covid 19.
Covid 19 was originated in Wuhan, China. As it started spreading around the world, most of the people began to look down upon China with an anti-China attitude. There were instances where the world communities identified that Covid 19 was a result of experimenting with a biotechnological weapon in China.
The tough policies of the American president Donald Trump also affected the policies of the World Health Organization related to the Covid 19 situation. Donald Trump announced that his country was going to resign from the collaboration with the World Health Organization as he believed that the chief of the World Health Organization is favouring China. The argument between president Trump and China went a long way. China’s response towards it was also not simple. It also affected the media authorities of both America and China. At the end, Bin Birtles, a journalist from Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Mike Smith, a journalist from the newspaper Finance Review were questioned and deported from China by its government. Therefore, Covid 19 was originated to the world creating disputes among several countries in the world.
Thereafter, these arguments went up to the World Health Organization. Later these arguments were aimed at Theodor Adnam Gabrius, the chief of the World Health Organization who was a citizen of North Africa. At times the American president Donald Trump generalized this as favouritism done by Africans towards China.
Later this dispute went a long way up to discrimination towards Chinese citizens, migrants, black people and other ethnic communities. Covid 19 also affected global politics. Various political parties made this situation an excuse to spread some hateful comments on different religious and ethnic groups in the world which badly affected both local and global reconciliation. During the first wave of Covid 19 in Sri Lanka, Tamil and Muslim communities became the victims of such hateful comments. It was highlighted by the media usage that was prevailing in the country. It has again come into the scene with the arguments going on related to the discussions about the burial of Covid 19 deaths.
Therefore, all the disputes such as hateful comments, ethnic discrimination, localism, religious discrimination and individualism should be defeated along with the Covid 19 pandemic. As the next step, all should attempt to empower human rights and humanity in the citizens. It will definitely lead to a future society with healthy coexistence and reconciliation.
