Distinguished Professor Ali Riaz has described President Trump’s decision to halt funding for World Heath Organization (WHO) as reckless and irresponsible. He insists that it’s detrimental to US national interests. Trump announced to halt WHO funding on April 14 pending review of the organization’s handling of Covid-19 pandemic.
President alleged that WHO accepted the Chinese official narrative without any scrutiny, and mismanaged and covered up the spread of the virus. Riaz argues that Trump’s decision is an attempt to deflect growing criticisms of his mishandling of the crisis in the United States. Trump’s criticism of China for coverup is problematic because he previously praised China for transparency. Trump praised China 15 times between January 22 and February 29, Riaz noted.
The decision to defund the WHO in the midst of a global pandemic shows the absence of empathy and a disregard for the people of the world—none of which helps the United States, Riaz writes in an OpEd published in the Daily Star of Bangladesh. While there are good reasons to question how the WHO handled the pandemic, but Trump’s intention is far from the issue of transparency.
