Shaukat Aziz
I would like to share with you my views on the Role of Government during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
It is hard to generalise about any one country’s response, although many have followed similar patterns of “lockdown” with differing levels of enforcement. One thing is universal, however, and that is when such a crisis happens, people turn to governments to act and they often have high expectations.
We have seen the importance of the “big state” model take hold across Europe and in the United States, where government intervention in the economy, as well as in industry, has been on an unprecedented level. We have witnessed rescue packages not seen since Marshall Plan as well as direct state intervention in business and key infrastructure.
This is because when a crisis of such proportion hits, governments must be agile, to disregard old norms and move quickly and do everything they can to save lives, support infrastructure and the fabric of society. It is a race against the clock and unlike any normal kind of policy- making.
I want to share some of my experience of what it is like for a government in a major crisis, from my own time in office as Prime Minister of Pakistan:
One of the hardest tests of my career was managing the relief effort following the devastating earthquake in 2005, during which 73,000 people lost their lives and three million were left homeless. It was the worst humanitarian disaster in Pakistan’s history – When the earthquake struck, millions saw their world turn upside down in a matter of seconds.
First, we had to find out what had happened, understand the scale of the problem, and prioritise what needed to be done first. This was hard as communications were disrupted, roads were blocked and supply lines were cut. The whole machine of government was impacted and had to respond, and quickly. So we galvanised the army, civil society and volunteers to help.
The scale of the disaster meant we were in urgent need of extra funds, so we held a donors’ conference in Islamabad, which raised $6.5 billion for the relief effort.
In this, we realised personally involving world leaders to galvanise support and raise awareness throughout the world was particularly important. President Bush, his father George HW Bush, as well as Kofi Annan, who came personally to the donors’ meeting, all made a big difference. Volunteers also flew in from across the world, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, the United States, the UK, China, UAE, Iran, Japan, Malaysia. It was a truly global effort. We also realised the Government had to be visible on the front line, to show leadership and a bias for action. Every day, for months, I and my ministers would get in helicopters and fly to affected areas, temporary shelters and hospitals. Of course, some of this cannot apply in the fight against Covid-19, with social distancing being one of the main tools. Here is what I think does apply: Firstly, the need for swift, decisive action is paramount. Governments that took decisions quickly to stop the spread of the virus will be praised in the long run. Those that struggled to show leadership are likely to face heavy criticism. Communication is key, it is not enough to decide on a strategy. Being able to communicate it clearly to the public, as well as the people on the ground who you rely on to implement it, from local government to police and border patrol is important. Technology has been a game changer in many ways, but it also creates new challenges for governments in such a crisis. Getting your message across is harder when everyone sees what other countries are doing differently, and this can build pressure and criticism of a government that is not pursuing the same strategy. Governments must be prepared to think outside the box, rescue packages must be put in place. Regulations that are prudent in normal circumstances must be appropriately relaxed to help the national effort. The army, as well as civil society, should be relied on to help distribution and supporting public services. Many charities will struggle during this time and need their own levels of support to help them stay afloat and provide vital support where government cannot. Most importantly, all governments must realise, we live in a globalised world, and a crisis like this needs a global response.tensions must be set aside, and countries must work together to help each other meet medicine and equipment shortfalls. The pandemic must be a wake- up call to all those who think unilateral action is the answer. We must not let this crisis, and the economic fallout from it, usher in a world of more protectionist inward-looking policy. As I have long argued, a multipolar world is better than a unipolar world. The existence of new world powers could be a source of strength for all nations. We have spent the past few years concerned about changing power dynamics, as the tectonic plates shifted away from the West and towards Asia, most notably China. While questions will rightly be asked about how the virus started and how China, like other countries, approached the start of the pandemic, we must also look towards the positive cooperation we have seen. For example, countries like China and South Korea are doing much to help the West’s shortage of protective equipment. We must do more to share personnel, equipment, and R&D, particularly in the global search for a vaccine. Countries which have learned from the experience of fighting the SARS virus have important lessons to share with the world. When this crisis is over, governments must take a new look at their approach to international affairs. Over the past few years, we have seen the major powers of the world growing further and further apart. Co-operation between the P- 5 countries has been struggling for years. And in our hyper-interconnected, globalised world, where, as we have seen, disease spreads so quickly the necessity for governments to be on the same page is greater than ever. We all need to work hard to build linkages and inter-dependencies. Why? Because they play a key role in allowing this sort of cooperation, and mutual aid, to take place, if those connections are already there. I also want to touch upon the role of multilateral organisations in the crisis. The World Health Organisation has a particularly important role to play in spreading correct information during the pandemic and supporting the global effort to find a vaccine. The United Nations can also be a true force for good and has an important role to play in the world, something I saw firsthand during the earthquake I described earlier. However, many multilateral organizations and the Bretton Woods institutions created after the Second World War, the UN Security Council, the IMF and the World Bank, are outdated and have long since needed to be restructured. Without reform to bring them up to date with the modern world, these organisations will simply not be able to step up in a crisis and adapt fast enough. Regional organizations also have important roles to play in supporting governments. However, they too need constant reform to make them more equitable and effective. Most important in such times is the need for clear, effective and strategic leadership. We need leaders to be able to convince their people into taking these unprecedented, and often painful, lockdown steps, rally support and work together with their counterparts across the world. They must be able to effectively coordinate national, state, and local government, which as we know are not always in sync. All of this must be done against the backdrop of remote working, with dome government departments working almost entirely from home while implementing complex new policy. In conclusion once the most painful part of the crisis is over, we must ask ourselves – how did it happen? What are the long-term implications? And what could be done differently? And the key message is: Planning and preparedness are vital. And every country must have the tools in place to handle a crisis before it starts. After the earthquake, we set up a specially- dedicated unit in the government to specifically deal with future natural disasters. All countries must try to plan ahead to have the adequate equipment, the expertise. The army should also be specifically trained to provide emergency aid. What we have seen with this pandemic, is that – Disaster management is more global than people realised. Covid-19 does not recognise borders. Which means, compared with other natural disasters, the dynamics of how governments should respond change immediately. We have to think regionally, and globally, in looking for solutions. Not all countries, particularly in the developing world, have the right specialists. Not all have experts in pandemics, manufacturers that can produce the necessary equipment or labs which can develop a vaccine. Which is why countries must have a go-to window in the world where they can get help. Once the peak of this pandemic is over, we must set up a pro-active, empowered disaster relief unit which can provide the adequate equipment and specialists to any country across the world. It would be a global repository of expertise. This body would have expertise of every type of disaster – from pandemics to floods to earthquakes. It should be formed under the auspices of the United Nations, which has the authority and capacity to help any country around the world – to be able to provide physical help, prewarning and post-disaster management. W h a t we are increasingly learning is this – no country stands alone in a crisis. You cannot silo yourself forever, global cooperation is key. Disaster management must be a truly global effort.
