The coronary virus epidemic spreads in various countries, and the results of anti -epidemic in various countries are far away.There are many factors that cause anti -epidemic differences between countries, but how to deal with the contradiction between politics and science is undoubtedly the most core issue; good treatment not only can be controlled by the epidemic, but also the social economy will not suffer heavy losses.
Politics is the expression of interests, the wrestling and balance between different interests, whether it is the bottom -up interest expression like the West, or the top -down interests like China.Science is how to prevent the spread of the epidemic and the spread of the epidemic, and the life will not focus on any other aspect.
In the coronary virus epidemic, the contradiction between politics and science is manifested as the relationship between life and economy, and also manifested in the relationship between life and personal freedom.Furthermore, how to deal with the relationship between politics and science itself requires science.
Compared with Western countries, especially British and American countries, the resistance of East Asian society is obviously relatively successful, and the key to success is that the East Asian government can achieve a balance between science and politics during the anti -epidemic process.This characteristic of East Asian society has a great relationship with the tradition of the technical bureaucratic governance of these society.One of the main features of technical bureaucratic governing the country is that when this group is diagnosed and finds methods to solve problems, this group will not resort to ideological and political considerations, but to resort to scientific reason and logic.Society such as South Korea and Singapore is regarded by the West as a model of resistance.
South Korea and Singapore use the invasive monitoring system (such as tourists) to slow the outflow of viruses and even block the spread of viruses, but they do not take too extreme measures to ordinary people.This is nothing more than to achieve two goals at the same time, resisting and maintaining normal economic and social life.
Political excessive causes incomplete resistance
China's measures are more extreme, but many aspects are similar to other Asian society.This is also a reason.The epidemic settled in Wuhan (Hubei), and the Chinese central government decided to seal the city (province).This extreme measures saved countless lives, but it also brought major economic losses. China's first quarter economy was basically gone.But can the Chinese government use a gentle policy to reduce economic losses like the South Korean and Singaporean government later?These are just the explanations of the incident (Zhuge Liang).These extreme measures were undoubtedly the right choice under the situation.
To a large extent, although China has sacrificed economic activities, the method of responding to the spread of the epidemic, including large -scale national mobilization, cross -provincial support, the construction of Liangshan Hospital, and the setting of square cabin hospitals, etc.scientific.In other words, although there is also politics in China's resistance, it is manifested in the early local government's excessive control of remarks, but after the start of the comprehensive resistance, the government has not hindered science and the use of political help science has reached the extreme.
This approach often leads to Western criticism, arguing that the government is too authoritarian and violates free human rights, and even the square hospital is considered a new concentration camp.But the use of scientific methods has enabled China to effectively control the epidemic in a short time.In the words of American scholar, Fushan, China is a successful example of non -western society.
The West is another situation.If China is a political help science, the West can be said to be politically over -driving science.Political excessive and scientific lack is one of the main reasons for many Western governments to resist immunity, especially the British and American countries that are regarded as a model of Western democracy.
The British Ministry of Health announced on May 5 that 29,400 people in the UK died of coronary virus, which means that Britain has surpassed Italy and became the second largest country with crown diseases, only behind the United States.From the beginning of the epidemic, the Johnson government has been insufficiently responded by criticism from all walks of life, including prematurely abandoning the inspection and tracking strategies. Fengcheng's measures are far behind other European countries, and even the Prime Minister and Minister of Health have confirmed.British analysts believe that this is caused by the Politics of the British Johnson government over science.
Some Western countries, including the United Kingdom, have been complaining about China's early behavior, thinking that the concealment and hesitation of China has led to the popularity of the epidemic in the world.However, this kind of blame cannot explain why these countries themselves are so hesitant.The World Health Organization listed the coronary virus as an international public health emergency on January 30, and Britain also diagnosed the first two infections the next day, all of which were Chinese citizens.
However, the Johnson government was still immersed in the festive Brexit in early February and delivered a speech to celebrate Brexit.The media also found that the Prime Minister was absent from a number of conferences in the cabinet office of the cabinet that discussed the countermeasures, showing that the Prime Minister did not pay attention and care about the epidemic.The British government's resistance decision has also been approved to lack transparency. The cabinet office briefing room meeting has always been secret.Although the government has also referred to the scientific suggestions of the scientific consultant group of the emergency event, there has been no list of members of the group.This expert group has been warned long ago. If it is not taken effective, the population of the United Kingdom will be infected by 80 % of the Britain until the beginning of March, but the Prime Minister still only recommends that the public is washed up, and it is said that when he visits the hospital, he shakes hands with everyone.Politics' contempt and differences in science are obvious.
Many people also remember that the Western media also criticized the Chinese President Xi Jinping at the time of inspection of the epidemic area, thinking that this was a symbol of the CCP's leaders from the society.But later, Western media never lacks a more intense tone to criticize their president or Prime Minister to appear without a mask when they appear in public.
The British government revealed on March 12 that the first stage of the anti -epidemic plan has been concluded, and from testing and tracking to alien the virus to relieve the policy, it is required to be separated by themselves for one week.In consideration.Many people believe that the British government should not give up the siege strategy at the beginning.Patrick Vallance, chief scientific consultant, proposed group immunity theory on the 13th, that is, 60 % of the country's population infection to generate immunity and protect the entire community in the long run.This caused great controversy in the UK.At that time, there were nearly 800 cases in the UK, but many large events were still ongoing.
At the same time, Italy, France, and Spain have successively sealed the city, and Germany has adopted strict social distance measures and promoted large -scale detection and tracking.After that, the British government turned back, and repeatedly emphasized that group immunity was only a scientific concept, not part of the actual resistance policy.
On March 16, the research team led by the Empire Institute of Technology, an authoritative expert of the Empire Institute of Technology, and the key to the research report led by Neil Ferguson.Based on the calculation of this report, if it continues to adopt a strategy of relieving policies instead of encirclement strategies, British National Health Services (NHS) will overload or cause 250,000 people to die.In the following week, whether the government should have a fierce debate in the government.
Although health officials believe that Fengcheng is imperative, fiscal officials are worried that Fengcheng will affect economic activities.In any case, this controversy wasted a lot of time.During the policy controversy, the virus is accelerating, but ordinary people live as usual.It was not until the 20th that the government ordered the closure of schools, bars, restaurants, and other social places, and the city closed on the 23rd.
In the United States, politics is worse than Britain.Since the beginning of the anti -epidemic, the story of the United States resistance seems to be around the contradiction between administrative power, that is, the group of presidents and scientists and experts.The president and Congress have interacted and confrontation on how to deal with the economic problems of the United States, but it is not the main line.
How politics is scientific
Politics is scientific at the three levels.The first is the politics of the personal level of politicians.Here Trump is undoubtedly the protagonist.For the individual power and elections, Trump did not hesitate to deny the scientific suggestions of experts.Trump has repeatedly denied the opinions and implementation of his wrong authority and even accusing him with his position to expand his authority.In this epidemic, Trump pushed this situation to extremes.President has repeatedly ignored the Disease Control and Prevention Center (CDC) officials and other expert basesIn scientific suggestions, dilute the epidemic, and propose unconfirmed therapy.
He even suggested to kill the coronary virus in the human body with the method of injecting the disinfectant.Although he denied it later, some people in the United States had done it according to the president's method.The pride of the President's personal pride also led to the loss of the White House, and some staff confirmed the infection of the coronary virus.The President's individual wasted a lot of time on whether to wear a mask, and finally decided to wear it, but the president himself often did not wear it, and even the White House staff could not figure out the behavior rules of the coronary virus epidemic.
Personal interests are also manifested in cases of some Congress during the epidemic, using internal news to transfer shares.
Followed by the politics at the level of interest groups.This mainly shows the controversy of the important or life of the economy, and in its related policies.Many conservative politicians in the United States have always put the economy before the federal level or the state and the local level, and even publicly advocate that the life can be regarded as the economy.Although this controversy is inevitable, the concept of economy is more important than the effectiveness of the anti -epidemic policy of the federal government or the local government.
Recently, although the confirmed cases of coronary disease are still rising, the White House stated that as the state has made tremendous progress in resistance, the White House resistance working group led by its leaders will dissolve quickly, and the federal departments will coordinate resistance.However, many expert models in the United States show that if the United States resumes normal activities to restart the economy, the number of diagnosis and deaths will surge.Various polls also show that more than half of Americans are still disturbed by unblocking.Faced with criticism, Trump changed his mouth again, saying that the anti -epidemic team worked well and continued indefinitely, but at the same time, it would focus on security and re -opening the country, vaccine, and treatment.
According to US media reports, CDC formulated a series of specific suggestions for local officials to decide how to resume normal social life by step in April, but was put on hold by the White House because it was guided to violate the strategies of self -determination of various states to unite.The White House obstructs the report of the CDC, and the implementation of epidemic prevention measures is passed on to the states and even the enterprise itself.Some Republican control states are anxious to restart the economy to protect the economy, while the state controlled by the Democratic Party continues to resist.
Third, at the international level, US presidents and senior officials are trying to push the responsibility of the coronary virus to China.Although the scientific community of various countries including the United States, the origin of coronary virus is still in the research stage, the United States' political and conservative media have continuously created various theories about coronary viruses, such as China's origin theory of Chinese responsibility and Chinese compensation theoryWait, try to push your responsibility to pushing for poor resistance to China.
The Republican Party tried to take China's responsibility as a campaign agenda for Trump as a presidential position.The United States also wants to push China's virus conspiracy theory through the five -eye alliance.The excessive approach to the United States has even led to some alliance members to keep a distance from the United States.Earlier, in the so -called Iraq with a large -scale killing weapon, the United States allies have heard the United States and made a big mistake.
Despite the promoted by politics, there have been responsible remarks, but no country, like the United States, has so many senior officials and parliamentarians to put so much energy on pushing China.People can imagine how much life can be saved if these officials and politicians put their energy into resistance!
In Western countries, Germany is undoubtedly a model of resistance.The German crown disease mortality is only 2%, which is far below 13%of Italy and 10%of Spain.There are many factors in this, but the German leadership can reach a balance between politics and science, which is undoubtedly a key factor.Just as the Americans spread the spread of the American epidemic to President Trump, the Germans attributed the success of the German Prime Minister Merkel's strong leadership.Although Merkel was criticized in the early days of the epidemic, Merkel was criticized for failed to play a strong leadership role in Europe, the effective measures taken by Germany were widely praised.
As a physicist from the science class, she follows scientific suggestions and learns from the best practice of other countries.The United States has some of the most outstanding and smartest scientific talents in the world, but not only did Trump not listen to their opinions, but often made opinions with scientists.Merkel is completely different. The German National Academy of Sciences she relies on is not only medical experts and economists, but also behavioral psychologists, educators, sociologists, philosophers and constitutional experts.
In any country, politics exists objectively and is indispensable.In a democratic country, politics is regarded as an effective way to prevent politicians from being authorized for its own personal interests, or the interests of the party's faction.However, if politics has science, it is difficult to find the most effective way to save the lives of the people.It is not unreasonable to restore economic activities, because if the society is stopped and the economy is falling, there will be more other problems.
In historical perspective, with the large number of corporate failures, the unemployment population has risen, the people's livelihood is difficult, and the large -scale social panic is inevitable.Died of related issues.Therefore, it is necessary to restore economic operation.The question is how to gradually open it scientifically, rather than based on ideology.
How to achieve a balance between politics and science?This is a problem faced by governments in various countries.At least so far, the performance of East Asian society in this regard is far better than Western society.
(The author is a professor at the East Asia Research Institute of the National University of Singapore)
The article only represents personal point of view
