Socialism & the Pandemic

Context: Recently, a plea has been filed before the Supreme Court, seeking to remove the words “socialist” and “secular” from the Preamble of the Constitution.

Challenges to the Philosophy of Socialism in India

• The persistent erosion of socialistic ideals over the years;

• For, E.g. Despite having “socialism” in its Preamble, India’s  total expenditure on health is mere 1% of the Gross Domestic Product which is very low comparing to 11% in New Zealand

• Neoliberal policies in the ’90s had pushed socialism aside; where the market economy lay all problems at the doorstep of population growth.

• On the contrary, Kerala, the best-performing state in the pandemic is also one of the densest one.

• Absence of a purely socialist state: Socialism is currently practised in its evolved form called the welfare state which is a liberal state.

Socialist ideals as life-saver during the pandemic

• Good public health system: While the public health system in socialist countries had a better outcome, capitalist systems with privatised care have fared the worst, for e.g. the United States.

• More Examples:

• New Zealand has one of the best COVID-19 figures, whereby it is governed by the Labour Party with left leanings.

• Countries like Germany, Portugal and Iceland performed well when compared to Spain; all are having socialistic tilts.
• People-centric programmes in Latin America, including Argentina and Venezuela, have shown promising outcomes when compared to Brazil (right-wing dominated).

Conclusion: Socialism in its most deactivated, metamorphosed, desultory form that has been a handy weapon in successfully fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.