The road to recovery

EVEN WITH the uncertainties that accompany the covid19 pandemic, the team constituted by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to formulate the road to recovery has little choice but to hit the ground running. Of urgency is the establishment of a clear mandate for its deliberations, and it will clearly have to be a growing one, as well as a mechanism by which the committee can draw upon as wide a cross-section of civil society as possible, particularly women.

The committee, chaired by Rowley, comprises economists, businessmen, bankers, energy officials, industry leaders, technocrats, and labour officials. The breath of its constitution alone is reassuring, a sign of the wealth of talent which this country contains. Additionally, the inclusion of a lone public representative signals an intent, at the very least, to embrace holistic, non-academic perspectives. That will be needed.

While the gender composition of the group is certainly not ideal (only three of the near two dozen members are female), and while this is perhaps reflective of pre-existing imbalances within the business realm, it is pertinent to remember that global leaders such as UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres have warned the covid19 fallout could adversely affect the rights of women, even as the virus has a disproportionate impact on men.

As such, gender considerations will have to be factored in by the committee, as well as the Cabinet, and should be part of the background to the formulation of the committee’s terms of reference, any future appointments, as well as any consultation process that will be adopted.

It is a good omen that so many individuals have agreed to serve the population. Their commitment, as well as the fact that the committee draws its membership from all sides of the political divide, serves to underline the fact that the process of coming to terms with the economic impact of this situation will require a non-partisan approach.

While this committee gets to work, the immediate focus must continue to involve doing as much as possible to lessen the curve. That includes ironing out problems when it comes to communication between agencies, as has emerged this week given reports of erroneous statements being transmitted between facilities resulting in flip-flopping over the containment of individuals. Such snafus, while they involve superficial aspects of the system, do little to quell the anxiety of the public as well as patients.

By now it must be clear that life will not be the same after this pandemic. To some extent the committee has an unenviable task because the economy is destined to endure hard times ahead. At the same time, it will have the rare opportunity to apply creativity and skill to refashion a society that is more sustainable and that works for all. It’s not about recovery alone, it’s outright reconstruction.