Namrata Sharma

AS the world is moving towards capitalism and towards a globalised system of production, the industries in different parts of the world are becoming more and more dependent with each other. Big companies like Apple have factories in China which produce goods, but the users in the western countries are unaware of the exploitation of the workers. These stories have hit the media many times. Now during pandemic the inequalities, created by a globalised capitalised economy, have worsened the situation for all especially the workers and labourers.
During the pandemic, I have been reflecting on how inequality of wealth and power in a society leads to a state of chronic stress. Due to the lack of nutrition and access to health systems, people with meagre resources forgo what is needed by the body. During my travel to the rural parts of Nepal, India and Kenya during my work with very deprived communities, I have seen people being deprived of food and health services to keep their bodies strong and also with education to make them aware of where to access the needed services. This impacts the bodily systems such as the cardiovascular system and the immune system, leaving individuals more susceptible to health problems.

Entrenched inequalities
Now the Pandemic has clearly showed that capitalism is actually making societies more and more unequal. As these inequalities increase, we will see individuals more and more susceptible to infection. I think it will not be an exaggeration to say that capitalism’s inequality puts us all at greater risks as COVID-19 spreads. The pandemic cannot be curbed without developing a mechanism for all to protect themselves from the virus, for which a socialist approach with a well-established welfare system is the need of the hour.
Capitalism leads towards hoarding of wealth by a handful of business tycoons which exceed far more than their needs. Although some of these tycoons contribute towards philanthropic activities, it is still a reality that the majority of the workers who work day in and day out to maintain their empires are poorly paid. May is the month when we celebrated the Labour Day on the 1st of May and it is still appropriate to reflect on how capitalism may be one of the major reasons for the continuing coronavirus pandemic?
Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkson have come up with their book ‘The Spirit Level’ as an outcome of 30 years of research. In the book, they highlight why greater equality makes societies stronger. People in more equal societies are healthier, live longer, have lower infant mortality, and have high self-ratings of health. Inequality leads to poorer overall health, they state in the book. They also state: “One common factor links the healthiest and happiest societies: the degree of equality among their members.” During the pandemic unless and until the inequalities created by capitalism are brought down and vaccination, nutrition and health services are provided equally to all, we are headed towards more bad days for everyone.
The book exposes that most modern social problems, including poor health, violence, lack of community life, teen pregnancy, mental illness, are more likely to occur in a less-equal society. The researchers Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett lay bare the contradictions between material success and social failure in the developed world. Therefore, shifting from self-interested consumerism to a friendlier, more sustainable society is what the situation created by the pandemic is demanding.
It is also a fact that a large portion of materials used to make medicines come from China. As China was stigmatised in the beginning due to the origin of the virus controversy, this too affected in the production of the vaccines. Author Dr Michael Pappas writes that “a central aspect of socialism is a democratically run planned economy: an economy in which all resources are allocated according to need, instead of ability to pay. Need is decided democratically by both producers and consumers. With the means of production under workers’ control, we would be able to quickly increase production of these products in an emergency.”

Planned economy
As I ponder about the increasing inequality in the Capitalist system, I also feel that socialism cannot exist just in one country. Dr Pappas proposes a global planned economy would be key in these moments. Global pandemics like the coronavirus can be stopped only if we stop it everywhere. In a global planned economy, this could be a much easier task.
When anyone gets sick there should be a mechanism where they can take time off to get well without worrying about losing their job, paying rent, putting food on the table, or being able to provide for their children. Under capitalism this is not possible. As a result there is a pressure for those who do not have surplus to work while sick and potentially expose others, or stay home and risk losing their jobs. On the country, under socialism, with no crave of hoarding, there will not be the need to work relentless hours to make a few very rich.
With a planned global economy, the focus can be on sustainable approach to life to produce only what is required for a simple and healthy life style where all can eat, sleep and be happy. In a planned economy, we could allocate resources where they are most needed, and take into account a decrease in the workforce due to illness. A new school of political wisdom of a planned global economy is a must now. If all get equal access to the resources on Earth, curbing this pandemic will be easier. To move towards a more sustainable, equal and just world for all humans no matter what gender, class, caste, ethnicity or other divides should be planned now.

(Namrata Sharma is a senior journalist and women rights. namrata1964@yahoo.com Twitter handle: NamrataSharmaP)