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Want to know why many areas in the Philippines have been in lockdown for more than 45 days now, nearly 8,000 Filipinos have been infected by the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 with more than 530 dead, the economy damaged, many facing unemployment or bankruptcies, the education of our youth made uncertain?

To borrow Marc Thiessens answer: Because China is a brutal totalitarian dictatorship.

We are in the midst of a pandemic lockdown today because the Chinese Communist regime cared more about suppressing information than suppressing a virus. Doctors in Wuhan knew in December that the coronavirus was capable of human-to-human transmission because medical workers were getting sick. But as late as Jan. 15, the head of Chinas Center for Disease Control and Prevention declared on state television that the risk of human-to-human transmission is low. On Jan. 18, weeks after President Xi Jinping had taken charge of the response, authorities allowed a Lunar New Year banquet to go forward in Wuhan where tens of thousands of families shared food and then let millions travel out of Wuhan, allowing the disease to spread across the world. It was not until Jan. 23 that the Chinese government enacted a quarantine in Wuhan. (This virus should be forever linked to the regime that facilitated its spread, March 18, 2020)

For a time, when China appeared to have domestically managed the pandemic it created, the sense of glee amongst its propagandists, including those here in the Philippines, was palpable. The US system doesnt work they say. Democracy is inefficient. Freedom is overrated. All this with the obvious intent of advocating that the Philippines turn away from its democratic, human rights, and rule of law values, and copy instead Chinas totalitarianism.

Or in other words: Give up your rights and just do what we say.

Unfortunately, for them, they celebrated too soon. China was shortly thereafter required to upwardly adjust its fatality numbers by 50%. Wuhan, the first city afflicted with the China coronavirus, is still reeling from the pandemic. And just last week, Hubin, a city of 10 million residents, was summarily locked down.

Twenty-one million mobile phone subscriptions have also been canceled, which, though not necessarily corresponding exactly to deaths, is still a significant indicator of the damage China inflicted on itself. Not subject to speculation though is Chinas 6.8% drop in economic growth, its lowest level in 30 years.

Compare that with the fairly successful efforts of Taiwan. Most experts were predicting catastrophic deaths due to its close proximity to China. And yet Taiwan, as of this writing, has only 429 infections and six deaths. With no lockdown, with great transparency, no loss of human rights, and its businesses continuing to operate.

Of course all eyes are on Sweden, with some 19,621 infected and 2,355 dead. Yet, it fares favorably when compared to the Netherlands, the UK, France, Italy, and Belgium on deaths per 100,000 population. Without a lockdown.

And all indications are the Swedes have already weathered the worst. With a fairly unscathed economy, Sweden is now better placed to confront a coronavirus second wave should it happen.

And contrary to the misleading information given out by mainstream and social media, even the country that progressives and leftists love to hate, the US under President Donald Trump, is relatively doing well.

Yes, the US has nearly a million infected and over 56,259 dead. Yet Johns Hopkins data shows the US with one of the lowest death rates per 100,000 compared to other major countries. This without undue restriction on freedoms in most of the US States. Seven states, in fact, have little to no restrictions. Remember, it is the State governors, not Trump, that have the power to declare lockdowns in their individual states.

Only 13 to 15 US states have stringent lockdowns. And interestingly, it is the States that turned away from their democratic foundations, led by progressive leftist governors, that have the most infections and fatalities. The top four states New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and California alone account for 50% of US cases, with the rest scattered across the country in comparably minimal numbers.

Democracy may have stumbled in the early goings but it has ultimately proven more effective than authoritarianism or totalitarianism. National Democratic Institutes Adam Nelson is right: A vital yet overlooked antidote to pandemics [is] democracy. While the virus spreads, Chinas crackdown on freedom of expression has created an environment where doctors are stifled, the free flow of information is curtailed, health recommendations are ignored and the death toll rises.

Open societies are simply more able to harness creativity, innovation, energy, motivation, and optimism in people. In relation to pandemics, transparency allows a better grasp of the situation, while encouraging its people to find the best solutions and cure.

All the while retaining the benefits of human dignity and rights.

Lets hope and work that in beating this pandemic, Filipinos also gain a better appreciation of and work harder to uphold democracy and civil liberties.

Jemy Gatdula is a Senior Fellow of the Philippine Council for Foreign Relations and a Philippine Judicial Academy law lecturer for constitutional philosophy and jurisprudence.

https://www.facebook.com/jigatdula/

Twitter @jemygatdula

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Democracy versus the coronavirus - BusinessWorld Online