Ranil Wickremesinghe: South Asia Needs A Humanitarian Response To The Covid-19 Pandemic

I must tell you that the ambulance service that prime minister modi gave at my request –we have to thank him for that, without that it would have been much more difficult keeping enterprises going big or small –if they collapse, the whole formal sector goes. It’s the total economic activity that is at stake to boost tourism, we need more testing, and the economies must go ahead, because tourists need mone

- Meera Srinivasan

The former Sri Lankan Prime Minister says India has to play a leading role in formulating a SAARC-led regional response to the crisis. The SAARC Secretariat should play an active role in the region’s response to COVID-19, along with “someone in charge”, according to Sri Lanka’s former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. “I don’t know if it can be handled from Kathmandu alone. If you can, well and good. But you may need another city. It can be Bengaluru, Colombo, any city,” he said on Friday. “This is a good time for a regional cooperation programme. This is a global pandemic without a global leadership. Maybe the region can’t provide leadership for all. But the first virtual meeting of SAARC leaders was good, looking at the background and the problems that are there.” Edited excerpts from an interview:

Q Well before the COVID-19 crisis hit us, you have been an advocate of greater regional cooperation. How can it help at such a time?

You see, this is a good time for a regional co-operation programme. This is a global pandemic without a global leadership. Maybe the region can’t provide leadership for all. But the first virtual meeting of SAARC leaders was good, looking at the background and the problems that are there.

We must treat this as a humanitarian issue and come up with a regional response. Maybe one or two countries, for instance India and one other, could put up a proposal, which then can be looked at by others, and possibly amended. Let us all work together. We [Sri Lanka], for instance have a good public health system. So has Kerala. We can work together on that.