Politics and the pandemic.

 Sat Oct 3, 2020.

The almost year-old pandemic has managed to stop almost everything except politics.

Everywhere in the world, the earlier signs of the recession of the virus have been thwarted by signs of resurgence. There are fears that the reemergence could be more  rabid, while no vaccines are in clear sight yet.

Somehow, the political turmoil has not only not abated, but in fact has been intensified in many spots  of the world map. Europe, the Middle East, USA. That includes Malaysia, of course.

The daylight robbery of the legitimate PH Government didn't stop Sabah from attempting to do the same thing. To hell with the respect for "the voice of the people" of 9.5.2018. The voice of greed was more audible.  First, it was the chance for an aging and ailing ursuper to steal power, playing the numbers game. "I have the number !" Then it was a frustrated CM who took the bull by its horns, but lost the scrimmage because of criss-crossing loyalties in a crowded field.

The Sabah battle is not over. Warisan added their numbers, though by itself insufficient. UMNO threw everything into battle, but lost seats and performed poorly in comparison. But at least they recognized their predicament, and when upstart BERSATU grabbed 11 of the 13 new seats and put up their man as CM, UMNO could only look on, licking their wounds in spite of all the brave talk. Many are unhappy, and many are calling for the abondonment of the hasty coalition put up for the Sabah fight.

Fortunately for Malaysia, the political mess has not yet interfered with the scientific approach to meeting the pandemic. The averaged figures by WHO standards for Malaysia are acceptible. For now.

Not so in the so-called richest and most powerful country in the world, the USA.

At a time when it could, and should, provide leadership in tackling the world pandemic, USA failed miserably simply because the President failed miserably. Backed by the money and science available to him, the  insane man in the White House chooses to put his personal agenda above that of his country and the world. We remember that it took Pearl Harbour before USA entered WWII. But selfish as it was, it went on to play the important role of providing the leadership, logistics and committment that eventually defeated a Germany that 6 years earlier chose someone just like Trump now.  Hitler. 

I watch, facinated but in dismay, the antics of Trump throughout the pandemic in USA. He dismisses his professional advisors. He dismisses all world authorities.  He dismisses  the medical advice of his own government. He ignores wearing masks and  social distancing. He makes accusations of lying and misleading  facts and figures  by qualified authorities, when in truth it is he who lies and misleads.

And now, after all the negatives that he had sowed, Trump has done something, finally, positive. He's been found positive for Covid 19, or the "China flu" as he calls it.

Now I'm watching to see if he follows science in the remedy he's seeking for himself.  Now might be the time to ask him to take his own advice, and drink some chlorox. That might at least get rid of one problem.

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