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Trump’s bad judgment Eberhard H. Weber, Laucala Bay, Suva

U.S. President Donald Trump sees in the World Health Organization (WHO) the culprit that has caused the coronavirus pandemic.

It appears that he wants to distract from the wrong judgment he has shown. Wrong judgment that already caused a huge number of deaths, many of which could have been averted according to the words of his own medical adviser.

No doubt, it would have been much, much better had the WHO predicted much earlier what right now unfolds globally. But could the WHO do this?

This is a novel virus and when President Trump accuses that the WHO did not provide timely information it was also because the WHO had no accurate information earlier.

It is easy to accuse the WHO, which acted like many Governments and other leaders did: not to ring the alarm bells before at least some facts were established.

Most governments and leaders were careful with horror messages that later could hit back on them, if incorrect, exaggerated. However President Trump played down the disease in many of his public appearances when already horrible aspects of the pandemic had been established and made publicly available – also by the WHO.

Here President Trump failed, showed extremely bad judgment. People who trusted in his leadership abilities were provided with wrong information, with fake news when decisive action could have made a difference, could have indeed saved lives, many lives.

To block funds to the WHO in the midst of a pandemic has the potential to cause hardship and death, especially in poor countries, which depend on international funding for their multiple health concerns, which go far beyond COVID-19.

President Trump had the same information from the WHO other governments also had. Some, but certainly not all, applied similar bad judgment.

Many took worst case scenarios, taking the risk to be made accountable, if later proven wrong.

Such worst case scenarios, together with logistical excellence (e.g. wide-spread testing, social distancing, huge reduction of public live, etc, etc.), saved many lives. In many countries such contingency measures had started long before President Trump even acknowledged that there is something horrible looming.

Here in Fiji the Government took rather early a worst case scenario. It introduced what many then considered drastic restrictions of individual freedom.

At the same time the effort was to not create fear, chaos and panic.

Considering the dimension of the disease which later unfolded, it must have been a balance on a razor’s edge.

Also my own employer, the USP, did an excellent job.

Under the leadership of the Vice Chancellor and President decisions were made that did not cause panic, but that protected students and staff in trying times.

Decisions that created the precondition that next week teaching and learning can continue in ways that safeguards high quality learning environments without compromising the health and safety of students and staff of the university.

Very well done. Feedback: rosi.doviverata@fijisun.com.fj