Can the United States Renege on the Payment Due to the WHO?

EXCLUSIVE TO THE INDIAN PANORAMA

By Ravi Batra

COVID-19  came from Wuhan in China in late December 2019.                               

It is widely believed that China is responsible for the creation and spread of Coronavirus which has snuffed out  197 K lives  in the US, ad 942K lives  worldwide (as on September16). The Virus has shaken the world economies, including America’s.  President Trump has accused WHO of not warning  member states of a public health crisis in time and delaying the information  to help China cover-up its misconduct.  –EDITOR                   

 

The accuser, US President Donald Trump , and the accused WHO’s Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

POTUS has accused WHO’s Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (“Dr. Tedros”) of being ethically compromised, or worse, and “China-centric” in his performance – such that the early alarm system that the WHO is responsible to trigger to warn member states’ leaders of a public health crisis was not “rung” timely, but delayed to help China cover-up its misconduct – and promised, as a punishment, to withhold Dues-payment to the WHO. The United States is the single largest member state-contributor to WHO’s budget, be it assessed or voluntary “dues.” Even, as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest private donor.

The short answer is “yes.” The long answer is “yes; but, it will cause consternation.” 

In violation of Truth in Labeling laws and WHO’s unethical behavior, China has successfully mis-labeled the “Wuhan Virus” aka the “China Virus” into a neutered “Coronavirus” or “Covid-19” – unlike a century ago, when it was the Spanish Influenza, so-named as it originated in Spain.  Today, China admits – a point of sharp dispute – that it came from the Wuhan Wet Market on or about December 30, 2019, even as nobody doubts that “Wuhan” is in China. Many believe it escaped due to poor protocols from the Virology Lab in Wuhan prior to December 2019, as Patient Zero was admitted on December 1, 2019 in Wuhan hospital. The protein make-up of the virus taken from Patient Zero is different than the ones identified by China as coming out of the Wet Market and given to WHO and others in mid-January 2020. For greater detail, see my Open Letter to POTUS, dated April 14, 2020. China has to-date not turned over Patient Zero’s genome, which is different than the one they did turn over in late January 2020.

President Trump was infuriated with WHO for having failed to sound the alarm on or about December 1, 2019 and thereby caused so many Americans to get sick or die – when they didn’t have to but for the WHO’s complicity in covering up China’s mis-deeds. The early and timely alarm is the primary reason for WHO’s existence, and had it performed properly, all nations’ leaders would have timely shut down their borders and blocked Chinese visitors in December 2019 to limit the infection.  Trump acted rightfully, as every homeowner would, in refusing to pay the Home Alarm company after a group of intruders came into the house illegally and no alarm went off causing great loss to life, limb and property.

So, let us look at WHO: it has a governing body – World Health Assembly (“WHA”) – which meets annually in Geneva, composed of its 194 member states. It has an Executive Board, that effectuates the mandates of the WHA. The WHA appoints the Director General of the WHO, currently, the embattled Dr. Tedros. A look at the binding Ethical Principles of the WHO underpins President Trump’s frustration and desire to punish China, the place of origin of the virus, as well as all aiders and abettors, none more important that Dr. Tedros who refused to sound the alarm timely in December 2019 and who to-date has not secured Patient Zero’s genome – even as vaccines are being developed – based upon the genome of the virus that was subsequently released by China as a “cloaking device” – to cloak the virus Patient Zero was infected with.

 “WHO is firmly committed to the following ethical principles:

Integrity: To behave in accordance with ethical principles, and act in good faith, intellectual honesty and fairness.

Accountability: To take responsibility for one’s actions, decisions and their consequences.

Independence and impartiality: To conduct oneself with the interests of WHO only in view and under the sole authority of the Director-General, and to ensure that personal views and convictions do not compromise ethical principles, official duties or the interests of WHO.

Respect: To respect the dignity, worth, equality, diversity and privacy of all persons.

Professional Commitment: To demonstrate a high level of professionalism and loyalty to the Organization, its mandate and objectives.”

Well, a calm reading and the WHO and its DG Dr. Tedros would stand charged for violating these binding ethical codes: for he lacks “integrity,” “accountability,” Independence and Impartiality” of a fiduciary, “Respect” of all those who needlessly got sick or died because he wouldn’t sound the alarm timely, and “Professional Commitment.”

That the world – people and governments – need a world health organization is obvious. This one has failed, and failed shamelessly by embracing Corruption instead of Honor. I have proposed that it be replaced and the UN Charter be amended. A new “UN Security Council” be created in place and stead of the Trusteeship Council, called the “UN Pandemic Council,” and it have 12 Permanent Members, and either 9 or 13 Rotating Members. It would have Responsibility to Protect (“R2P”) jurisdiction, and it can also have OPCW jurisdiction for chemical warfare, as Wuhan Virus is biowarfare, and each can create a global public health crisis. The P12’s Veto power would not be individualized, but require a group of 4-member states. Humanity has embedded its Hope into the United Nations – which celebrates its 75th year for its many achievements, including, the Cuban Missile crisis and no WW III. We need to strengthen multilateralism, so humanity is better served by governments – as Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg told us we must.

That America has suffered so much – even the dastardly attack on Pearl Harbor killed less than 2400 American. And, we responded to Imperial Japan’s temerity and warmongering, beat them by dropping two Nukes (“Little Boy” and “Fat Man”) – when less than 2400 were killed. How many Pearl Harbors did China do to us with its Wuhan Virus? Oh, had it been a mistake, China would have apologized and offered to indemnify us for our losses – be it pain and suffering or economic losses. That is what civilized persons  and nations do: admit error, and indemnify the other’s losses. But, China went “belligerent,” not just in the South China Sea sinking and killing Philippines’ Fishermen in their national sovereign 12-mile waters, but even sending a mandate to its diplomats to become “Wolf Warriors,” so-called, after a Chinese movie of a Chinese Commando who kills Americans in Africa. China is at war with the United States and lots of other countries; they just conveniently forgot to send us that notice in writing, or too many of our leaders like being a “Neville Chamberlain” – and continue to appease China by being calibrated and reasonable – by punishing her less than her minimum sentence: express remorse, indemnify all victims fully, and promise not to misbehave by removing the triggers from each rifle, missile, gun and bomb. Imagine, if POTUS actually responded to China’s war upon us nine (9) months ago; the artificial Mischief Reef made from the sand vacuumed up from the ocean’s floor would sink back to ocean depths. Chinese Communist Party’s China is rejuvenating the Ming Dynasty’s Tribute system. Either we remove China’s Jaws of War – peacefully or by whatever means necessary – or we all need to learn Chinese. Luckily, since a very tight election for President of these United States is upon us, perhaps Winston Churchill will make a cameo appearance in one of our candidates for POTUS, and do to CCP’s global-dominating China, what he did to Hitler’s fascist Germany.

So, President Trump is right to withhold payment of dues – until WHA or the Executive Board fires Dr. Tedros “for cause.” Of course, if President Barack Obama’s Attorney General Loretta Lynch could indict FIFA leadership as a U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, you know that Attorney General Bill Barr can indict Dr. Tedros, and the WHO if he wanted – in his sleep before the Grand Jury, so powerful is the evidence of misconduct. If the world cancelled all the debt China owns in every country, and created a trust fund to pay victims in a like manner as those who suffered in the WTC on 9/11, China’s indemnification of losses just to America (federal, state and local) and Americans would exceed $15 Trillion.

That China is interfering in our elections, after infecting us with almost 100 “Pearl Harbors,” is beyond the cavil, and we must rise to defend our Flag and our nation – as ordinary Americans heroically did in 1814 at Fort McHenry under heavy bombardment from the Brits to repeatedly takedown the Flag. Indeed, Francis Scott Key, a hostages-release lawyer-negotiator, seeing such bravery, spontaneously wrote our “Star Spangled Banner.”

Everyday hardworking Americans are worthy of American Exceptionalism; may our leaders be also, and actually and fully ‘defend and protect’ these United States from enemies who commit war upon us. A nine-month old un-declared war by CCP’s China has devastated us, unleashed a French Revolution of 1787 lawlessness and criminality upon our streets, and still we wait – wait for POTUS Trump and Secretary of Defense Esper to respond with full force before Election Day. It’s much easier to pick between a would-be negotiator-appeaser Chamberlain and a Churchill, who well depicted in the movie, “The Darkest Hour,” what is needed now: “we shall never surrender!”

(The author is Father, American Patriot, Lawyer, Wuhan Virus-Survivor. Chair, National Advisory Council South Asian Affairs, Advisor to Ukraine Mission to United Nations. Twitter @ravibatra”)                       

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