Corona Daily 220: The American Thabo Mbeki

Thabo Mbeki was South Africa’s president for nine years. He had succeeded Nelson Mandela. Mbeki scorned science, propagated conspiracy theories, avoided the subject when AIDS was spreading rapidly, rejected treatments. Mbeki delayed launching an anti-retro-viral programme, saying the drugs were toxic, part of a Western plot to weaken his country. Mbeki withdrew government support from clinics that started giving azido-thymidine to prevent AIDS transmission from mother-to-child. A pharma company had graciously donated Nevirapine, a drug that protects newborns from contracting HIV. Mbeki actively restricted the supply of that drug.

Mbeki loved to surround himself with sycophants who supported his skepticism, anti-science attitudes and paranoia.

A Harvard study tried to quantify the damage. It concluded that more than 330,000 people died prematurely from HIV/AIDS between 2000 and 2005 due to the Mbeki government’s obstruction of life-saving treatment, and at least 35,000 babies were born with HIV infections that could have been easily prevented.

There were calls to charge Mbeki by a judicial board, similar to what was done with apartheid criminals. Mbeki was never tried. Currently he is the Chancellor of the University of South Africa.

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If there is a Satan, for maximum impact he sent the coronavirus during Donald Trump’s tenure and in the election year. The American Mbeki discouraged mask wearing, showed indifference to contact tracing, scorned shutting businesses and isolating patients, didn’t protect nursing homes, advocated hydroxychloroquine, bleach, UV light and other quackery treatments. He created an anti-intellectual, anti-scientific cult that made hollow optimistic noises. Even during the massive second wave, he argued against action. “Don’t be afraid of covid,” he tweeted, “don’t let it dominate your life”. His attorney general William Barr compared stay-at-home to enslavement.

Trump may have stopped flights by January end, but the virus was already in the USA. He may claim credit for Operation Warp Speed, but the speedy vaccines will not be able to stop the more than million American deaths. Since he lost the election, Trump has lost all interest in covid. He wanted the vaccines for the election, not for the virus.

America’s tribal chief managed to get enough media sycophants to propagate the cult of falsehoods. Brit Hume of Fox News mocked Joe Biden for wearing a large mask. The right-wing website RedState called Dr Fauci a “mask Nazi” and the Washington governor the “public health Gestapo”.

A NYT columnist quotes a Facebook entry: “Create a VIRUS to scare people. Place them in quarantine. Count the number of dead every second of every day in every news headline. Close all businesses. Mask people. Dehumanize them. Close temples and churches. Empty the prisons because of the virus and fill the streets with criminals. Send in Antifa to vandalize property as if they are freedom fighters. Undermine the law. Loot. And, in an election year, have Democrats blame all of it on the President. If you love America, our Constitution, and the Rule of Law, get ready to fight for them.”  The entry is telling and relevant.

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In October, unusually, a journal of medicine in a paper titled “dying in a leadership vacuum” held Trump responsible for a large number of covid deaths. (The death certificates can mention the cause of death as – incompetent president). Till date, more than 370,000 Americans have died of covid. Yesterday, more than 4000 died. Wednesday’s putsch has rallied thousands of maskless hoodlums who will further act as super-spreaders.

To put this into perspective, during WWII, American soldiers died at the rate of 9,200 per month. On 9/11, nearly 3000 died. In 8 years of war in Iraq, 4500 Americans died. In 20 years of war in Afghanistan, 2400 Americans lost their lives. Covid-19 threatens to become the most lethal chapter in recent American history, and a large portion of the casualties can be attributed to its self-obsessed leader.

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Despite his cynicism, narcissism, compulsive lying, the gangster president managed to get 74 million votes; senators and representatives to support his falsehoods; and thousands of extremist followers to risk their lives in marching on the Capitol Hill.

The world must thank Coronavirus for getting rid of the bully. Without the virus, in all likelihood, we would have suffered another four years in misery.

Ravi