Corona Virus: When Bad Governance and Greed Kill & Humanity Prevails...

Most of us know by now that Corona Virus is for real, deadly and does not discriminate. Different countries have responded to the pandemic differently putting the people’s safety first and using the available resources to protect and preserve lives… but not in Zamunda. Why? Because Zamunda is no Wakanda.

All nations have been hit by Covid 19 or Corona Virus including Zamunda where the deadly disease have created a state of panic and desolation more than everywhere else.   

In fact, although both Wakanda and Zamunda are both located in Africa, one could never be so extremely different from the other and sparkle questions marks than in this era of Corona virus. The main difference between these 2 entities is that unlike Wakanda where humanity or Ubuntu prevails and where people live in harmony because of the respect of democracy and rights of all citizen, the Democratic Republic of Zamunda or simply puts Zamunda does not respect Human Rights: the country marches on democracy and its ancestral Ubuntu philosophy.

Like Wakanda, in some parts of the county, Zamunda’s citizens, literally, walk on uranium, coltan, gold and other mineral. And in Zamunda, you can grow agricultural crops 12 months/12 months. But, Zamunda is classified amongst the poorest countries with very low GDP and low life expectancy. Also, in Zamunda, the government, the parliament and all official bodies pay themselves extravagant salaries (way more than in developing countries) and make surplus of unnecessary living money on a corruption system they have rebaptized retro commission to have peace of conscience. 

Long story short, the governing bodies of Zamunda will take money paid by citizen for water and electricity consumption, taxes and other nationally produced finances and use it on themselves for lavish lifestyle instead of reinvesting in public services and public institutions with mandate to fulfill the people’s basic needs.  For instance, in Zamunda where the salaries of the average citizen vary between 150$ and less per month, members of parliaments are paid around $10.000 per month, the President salary is unknown, but it is said that he has hundreds of Counsellors or Advisors and each Counsellor (who has a cabinet) is paid like a Minister. The Minister’s salary of around $7.000 plus advantages without counting those of his/her cabinet members. And, hear this: in Zamunda, the salary of the Honorary President of the country (meaning the previous and only living previous President) is $ 650.000/month to soon be increased by another 650.000$/year, of bonuses including 2 new cars and first class travels for him and family members for good past deeds rendered to the nation … according to Zamunda Prime Minister’s request.    

All these were kind of overlooked and left alone but Corona Virus came to disturb the seeming peace, the status quo. In fact, when Covid 19 arrived in Zamunda, the government ignored it thinking that it will go away, which we all know Corona does not do. When Corona arrives; it will kill, you will notice, you will have nowhere to hide or run to and so, you will have to act. And that is exactly what happened to Zamunda’s governing leaders.

It is advised that to fight Covid 19, we need water and soap to wash our hands regularly, we need performing hospitals with respiratory devices and beds, we need medicines and some sort of Chloroquine related protocols. And most importantly we need confinement and all the necessary and had-hoc health, social, economic and industrial policies and measures to make the medical responses to work effectively.

However, regardless of its natural riches, because of rampant bad governance and greed, Zamunda cannot offer the above-mentioned basics to protects its people. As the leaders of Zamunda shine in stealing government’s financial reserves from its production and even from International Aid, the country lacks functional and equipped hospitals. And thus, there is no facilities to respond to, to receive, to treat, to observe the sickly and those infected by Covid 19. Bad governance and greed.

Because of outdated equipment and lack of all needed products, the national company designed to provide water does not do so regularly. In fact, in Zamunda the population can easily go without running water for days in cities. Mind you, not all parts of cities are recipients of running water… and forget about villages. So, how do people wash their hands as required to keep themselves safe from Corona Virus? Bad governance and greed.

The national company provider of electricity does not fulfill its mission and so, it is difficult to store food in Zamunda and thus, confinement will not work as people need to go out to find food daily. Besides, most of the population live from informal economy and so, they have to get out daily, to sell a few things and buy food for the survival of their families. So, truly imposing confinement to people of Zamunda is an impossible mission. Bad governance and greed.

The riches of Zamunda are quite impressive and could have prepared this country to face Corona Virus like its other Africans or Western counterparts if investments were made in transformative industries. Instead of investing in industries, Zamunda leaders invest public funds in luxuries, travels, lavish mansions and castles across the globes and in the country’s money laundering in private offshores endeavors. 

For instance, the country is amongst the first producers of aluminum, coltan and more other minerals needed in the production of medical equipment but, today the country cannot afford respiratory devices needed to sustain lives through Covid 19 crisis. Bad governance and greed.

Further, Zamunda has vast forests of wild rubber which produce raw material for liquid latex, yet today the country cannot provide its medical institutions and its people with the so much needed gloves. Similarly, the country cannot transform the fruits of its immense abandoned palm oil trees plantations into the so much needed soap to keep public hygiene checked.  Equally, the country does not produce needed paper for tissues. Bad governance and greed.

I can go on and on but about the riches but hear this: on the top of its glory, not so long ago, Zamunda used to produce chloroquine until it was removed from circulation worldwide a few decades ago. So, the old production infrastructure and the raw material plantations still exist, but the government is unable to revive the production as an emergency while all other countries are discussing about Chloroquine. Bad governance and greed.

Very last but not least, like Wakanda, Zamunda has quite a remarkable number of eminent scientists who have fought Malaria, Ebola, HIV/AIDS, yet the government lacks leadership to bring these experts together for the sake of its people because some of the experts too want to have for themselves the glory  and finances involved in Covid 19 research, discovery and disbursement without sharing. Bad governance and greed at all levels.   

As I said earlier, Corona is known to shake things, people and countries uncontrollably putting everything to the open and out of place. Now, people of Zamunda are noticing what is happening; people are scared, and people need answers. People want to know why they are in this unsettling situation and what their leaders have planned for them. But the government, the parliament and anyone with power in Zamunda who, in general, conduct themselves as some branch of the Kardashians, parading and filming themselves day and night for the little things they do as part of their job, are now in hiding. Why? Because the results of their bad governance and greed are out there in the open and they have no answers nor protection to offer to the people. The governing bodies have declared the State of Emergency before going into hiding and taking respiratory ventilators at home for themselves. But they are not acting with sense of emergency for the people’s protection or their health, social and economic needs. Even a few daily update words from officials could be appreciated and reinsure people of Zamunda, but they are fighting this fight alone and in despair.  Fortunately, there is not a people as resilient as the people of Zamunda.  

Zamunda possesses all the minerals, natural and human resources to look and act like Wakanda and cover the basics needs of its people in normal times and in times of crisis such this one of Corona Virus, but this ideal is not reachable because of bad governance and greed of its leaders. And these two negative characteristics could kill many people of Zamunda during Covid 19 crisis.  

Yes, the picture I just painted about Zamounda is a dark and terrifying picture. But, should we be desperate because of that? No, because in other places and in many cases, states are acting with urgency and responsibly. And, Covid 19 brings out more of the good in us than the bad. Everywhere, people are showing solidarity. Across the globe, people of good will take the responsibility to become their human sisters’ and their brothers’ keepers. Everywhere, people are organizing to take care and look after the most vulnerable and the elderly.   For instance, in Nigeria where the state takes its people and the country in charge, Mrs. Folorunso Alakija at the The Rose of Sharon Foundation in Nigeria https://www.facebook.com/alakijaofficial/ does not to put her personal resources at the disposal of hospitals in equipment and essential products and in providing to the vital needs of the most vulnerable.   Even in countries where the state has left a vacuum leaving the people to themselves in a state of debacle and no one knows where to start, people like Mr. Deo Kasongo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msZA-QcqIxc put their personal resources on line to organize Solidarity Caravans moving from city to city and bringing to fellow citizens all they need urgently and all they need to get by for the next weeks or month. These caravans bring needed boxes of disinfectants, soaps, milk, fish, chickens, cooking oil, water, bags of rice floor, maize, salt, sugar, etc… In Kinshasa, Member of Parliament Delly Sesanga – the only Member of Parliament to do so – gives away his salary for the year to fight back Corona Virus. In DRC, private journalists are raising awareness about the disease daily, on roads and in studios day and night while doctors, nurses and auxiliaries are still coming to work unprotected.  In Idjwi, General Bora is distributing health kits needed for proper hand washing and Annie Muhindo is feeding the widows and the elderly.  In Africa and everywhere across the globe, in responsible and irresponsible countries, laudable acts of Ubuntu, communion and compassion bring us the insurance that even in the darkest times of History, Humanity prevails and win. Even in Zamunda.  And this give us Faith that with respect of hygiene and social recommendations, with the tenacity of our scientists and medical corps and with our love for each other, this too shall pass… We will win Corona Virus.

Annie Kashamura Zawadi ?

April 6, 2020

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msZA-QcqIxc

https://www.facebook.com/alakijaofficial/