Covid-19 and climate crises have sparked an outcry for social justice. Will leaders take heed?

The lack of effective leadership to deal with the pandemic and global warming has irreversibly changed how most people view politics and business – witness America’s ‘Great Resignation’ and China’s ‘lying flat’ movement

Chee Yik-wai

Published: 1:30am, 22 Jan 2022

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With the world suffering from Covid-19 containment fatigue, the star-studded Netflix comedy Don’t Look Up provides a satirical and relatable reality. The film cleverly draws attention to our climate emergency, shaming leaders for failing to respond appropriately.

A parallel can be drawn to the world’s collective failure in handling the Covid-19 pandemic. An important takeaway is that the absence of leadership and social justice is a guaranteed path to destruction.

A lack of decisive pandemic leadership has cost more than 5.5 million lives. The number will almost certainly increase with the World Health Organization prediction that more than half of Europe’s population will be infected with Omicron, the latest Covid-19 variant, by March.

Similarly, climate-change-related deaths are estimated to top 150,000 annually, according to the WHO. Poor leadership has played a massive role, and a lack of prioritisation of social justice – the fair distribution of wealth, opportunities and privileges – has fanned the divisions that obstruct the resolution of these grave challenges.

Many people living in democratic systems with leadership elections every few years may believe that bad leaders are the staple in authoritarian systems. But we may have jumped to that conclusion too quickly; the reality is that both systems can greatly disappoint if we do not have the right leaders, which is often the case.

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Many democratic leaders prioritise elections and succumb to divisive tactics even at the expense of social justice. Electing leaders through a popularity contest when they may have no understanding of how to manage multilevel stakeholder relationships or, fatally, show a lack respect for science, is nothing short of a disaster.

The same effects can be observed in authoritarian systems where many citizens, who have been oppressed for too long, end up having little trust in their leaders’ ability to manage crises. Witness the appalling Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy rates in several countries, for example.

Countries with a more just society tend to achieve greater success in global competitiveness, especially when every citizen is encouraged to contribute to society. An extensive study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) suggests that a rise in income inequality undermines economic growth.

Social justice is imperative to create a stronger middle class, the backbone of every healthy economy. Yet, the mismatch of priorities of different stakeholders influencing societies could not be starker, resulting in the wide inequalities we see today. Most business elites, in particular, see little connection between a more just society and their direct benefits.

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In a largely capitalist global economy, where the top 1 per cent owns around half of the world’s wealth, these individuals have huge leverage over policymakers, leaving ordinary people’s legitimate interests at a significant disadvantage.

The International Labour Organization has tried to mitigate this with its Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalisation, adopted in June 2008 by the governments, workers and employers of its member states as part of its Decent Work Agenda strategy. Unfortunately, this does not seem to have been translated into real and meaningful structural changes by leaders.

Only when top decision-makers truly believe that social justice is imperative in unleashing everyone’s potential for economic expansion and mitigating global crises can more positive change happen.

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Throughout the Covid-19 crisis, many across the globe have complained about being exploited by employers who have prioritised profit over their safety.

This has given rise to the “Great Resignation” in the United States and the “lying flat” movement in China. Many have developed a strong sense of discontent and disappointment with their employers.

Social justice leadership can play a meaningful role, not only politically but also among industries, in navigating this new reality to find a win-win situation – that is, retaining the most valuable employees while mitigating acute labour shortages.

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Social justice extends beyond our economic sphere. The democratisation of the internet has given a voice to many who have long felt oppressed.

If we agree that censorship can only ever be a temporary solution, then it is important for our political and business leaders to explore ways to connect with the growing number of people who believe social justice initiatives can help preserve domestic stability.

Leaders in more authoritarian states may fear repercussions but there really is no need, as long as they faithfully implement social-justice-driven policies and serve the people by solving fundamental challenges with indisputable data to back up their decisions.

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All this reveals the need for social justice leadership, which is currently lacking or, rather, misplaced. Political sensitivities may make it difficult to convince policymakers globally to introduce social justice education in schools, but it is crucial to pass on these important perspectives to our future leaders from a young age.

Leaving it to politicians to sort out, with no societal consensus, will inevitably produce and exacerbate the divisions between those fighting for social justice and their opposite numbers.

The Covid-19 and climate crises have irreversibly changed how most people view politics and business. Worldwide, many feel a greater sense of scepticism and discontent towards the establishment.

Don’t Look Up perfectly captures this sentiment. It is time for world leaders to look up – and see that social justice-oriented solutions will lead to a more sustainable and equitable recovery, given the challenges we all face.

Chee Yik-wai is a Malaysia-based intercultural specialist and the co-founder of Crowdsukan focusing on sport diplomacy for peace and development

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