Dear Editor,
“It’s not what you do but how you do it”, states Amandala’s skillfully written March 3 editorial.
The editorial addresses several problematic issues in (dare I say endemic to) Belizean governance which beg further open discussion!
I wish to review the issue currently most pressing on people’s minds, change-of-government transitions, in particular, the treatment of Dr. Marvin Manzanero.
It’s not what you do, but how you do it. How true! I add, and why you do it. What do Prime Minister John Briceño and his Minister of Health hope to accomplish by investigating Dr. Manzanero for Covid-19 deaths due to alleged neglect in testing?
Why scapegoat him, possibly ruin him? The good doctor’s only sin is having been appointed by the ousted UDP.
Shame, shame, shame.
PM Briceño, he of “limited talent” notoriety, declares that when he was on the National Oversight Committee, Dr. Manzanero was “’stabbing in the dark’. It is the New Coronavirus, remember? The entire world was stabbing in the dark, even the mighty West. They too, overwhelmed, saw family members, even couples, dying within hours, minutes, of one another, even as testing increased!
The second wave hit harder than the first, just as predicted.
The five months from June to November 4, saw Belizean deaths increase from a miraculous 2 to 64. Twenty-two days later, November 26, it doubled to 129! On December 12, Dr. Manzanero was reported to be hospitalized with the virus. The count reached 211 deaths on Dec. 15, and eventually settled at 314 in February!
What really happened?
Consider Orange Walk, that super-spreader, through its ties to the San Pedro cluster.
Consider November’s tropical storms Eta and Iota, with people crammed into living spaces, even leaving their flooded communities.
Consider the November election — another super-spreader as feared?
The FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE, proven to contain spread, is mandatory public wearing of masks, social distancing and lockdowns. Testing, mostly voluntary, is complementary, not the end-all.
Consider the public’s refusal to follow protocol, despite Dr. Manzanero’s pre-second wave cautioning. Did Belizeans take the astounding results in the first wave for granted?
Consider the roles of police crackdowns, backed up by hefty court fines, and, finally, Death’s wakeup call.
Prime Minister and Health Minister, why the crucifixion? Re-examine your objectives, morally, politically and practically — for Dr. Manza, your own and the country’s sake.
Contemplate this: variants and vaccine efficacy are on the horizon.
Beryl Young