CORONAVIRUS Expertise and Egotism

By Edin Urjan Kukavica

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Chinese experts from Hubei province, where the SARS CoV-2 virus appeared and the only part where the epidemic has been suppressed because they have not recorded new cases of internal infection for days and therefore, plan to lift all restrictions (except in the city of Wuhan), meaning they have won the battle against the virus, on the way to winning the war against the disease, proposed, and the Serbian president adopted the proposal and ordered mass testing of the Serbian population. As difficult as it is for me to say, let alone write, that's how it's done when you listen to expertise and experience.

Bosnian and Herzegovinian experts, some of whom are the most public and highest-ranking officials, have problems putting on surgical masks (and consider pointing this out as inappropriate humor bordering on an act of hostility) say that it is enough to test only those who start showing symptoms. They have egos – we have seen that – but no shame, unfortunately, because, despite their wounded egos, they did not have enough shame to resign even after a public embarrassment. Moreover, they demanded, rightly(?!) expecting their incompetence and ignorance to be hidden from the public in the general interest and to prevent panic. Do I need to say that a public official – unsuccessfully hiding with a laugh that he is aware of the embarrassment – continued his address to the media, giving a report on... it no longer matters what, and instructions on how to behave in this situation.

Only later, probably after someone told or showed him that it all went live, his office reacted with a statement condemning (I'd rather translate than quote) the informing of the public about the incompetence of the most responsible, calling for self-control and announcing something like censorship.

For now, let's set aside the fact that the people who appeared before the pandemic – who did not inspire any confidence even then – continue to prescribe regulations, make decisions, order their implementation, and announce news that for us – not for them – marks the difference between health and illness and life and death. We are used to ignorance, incompetence, and even crime being justified by wartime, vital national, and party interests, but it seems that in the absence of these interests, "spreading panic" and preventing it has taken the place and role of covering up all the malpractices of political/party appointments and placements. Italy paid and is still paying the price, but at least they admitted that they paid more for their relaxed approach to political appointments and placements than for their innate carelessness.
In that context, it becomes a little clearer why, despite the claim that the situation is under control, that everyone who breaks the rules is punished, initiatives to close Sarajevo Airport are finally being launched, and when the police curfew is mostly respected... expensive equipment is being ordered, of which we already have better ones available, isolation facilities for 200+ people are being built, and (finally) tests are arriving, both those ordered through official channels and those contributed through personal, private efforts, measures are being taken that do not indicate that everything is under control.

All the billboard-sized assurances that everything is fine are in vain. At a time when the last thing we need is wounded egos, if a gradation can be established, less than that we need wounded egos in places where – now literally – they decide about our lives and call us to social responsibility by prescribing measures from which they are exempt, imposing rules on us that they do not respect and laws that do not apply to them. If anyone should show social responsibility, it is the people who decide about society. It is nice that some politicians are giving up significant parts of their salaries, even those we haven't seen or heard from since the beginning of the crisis, so we were a little worried that something might have happened to them (it turns out they are just following their president's example). Malicious people would say: "at least they have something to give up." Of course, there are also those who thought, "if an ordinary family can live on an average salary, why can't we endure radical cuts," however, since they are not ordinary, it is not so easy because "some decisions should be made by Parliament, some by the Government..."

We understand and adhere to the principle of social responsibility, but the highest social responsibility and the only convincing start to the social recovery of this society will be (the moment) when the first socially responsible politician appears who will say – I will repeat myself, but it is not superfluous – "people, I don't know this... is there anyone who knows?!"

I will remind you: politicians are those people who, when they have the opportunity to win a vote, play with children, pet them and kiss them... and as soon as the cameras turn off, they snatch lollipops and ice cream from those same children, and like diapers, they need to be changed regularly and as often as possible, and for the same reason (M. Twain).