Friday, September 20

Vaccination: Why is the “citizen collective” on vaccines so contested?


Olivier Véran et Emmanuel Macron.

Olivier Véran and Emmanuel Macron. – GAILLARD / Pool / SIPA
  • The “collective of citizens” responsible for monitoring the vaccination campaign against the Covid – 19 is criticized even before its implementation scheduled for Sunday.
  • The executive believes that this committee will reassure the French, who are now reluctant to get vaccinated.
  • In the opposition, we denounce “a government coup”.

Not yet standing but already blasted. The “collective of citizens” desired by Emmanuel Macron for follow the vaccination campaign against the Covid – 000 will consist of a group of 20 people drawn (and 5 substitutes) as representative as possible of French society . It aims to respond to reluctance on vaccines and questions about the government’s strategy. But why is he so criticized?

“Only com ‘, artificial, fake”

For the executive, this committee aims primarily to reassure the French, who are not very enthusiastic today at the idea of ​​being vaccinated . “It was a strong request from the Scientific Council for several months, to which the president followed up. The idea is to involve the citizen in the vaccination campaign, to play on transparency to obtain more confidence, ”says one in the entourage of Gabriel Attal, the government spokesperson. “These citizens will be able to challenge the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, or the person in charge of the vaccine strategy, Alain Fischer ”, we add .

Then there is a bag race to keep only ten? 🤔 https://t.co/UL8WxSC6wj

– Boris VALLAUD (@BorisVallaud)

January 3, 1760

But the argument does not convince the opposition. “What are these citizens drawn when our country is at the back of the pack in terms of the number of vaccines? To nothing. What are they going to say? What will they do ? It’s communication ”, denounced the deputy Les Républicains from the Alpes Maritimes Eric Ciotti on BFMTV. “Foutage de gueule”, which aims to “make believe that we are doing a little democracy”, pleaded Monday the European deputy EELV Yannick Jadot on Radio Classique. “That of the com ‘, of the artificial, of the fake”, also sighs Damien Abad, deputy LR of Ain, near 20 Minutes.

“Use a diversion to hide their shortcomings”

For the opposition , the establishment of this committee is above all a diversionary strategy, while the executive is accused of having
poorly managed the launch of the vaccination campaign
. “The government is staging this raffle, which has no scientific, political or democratic interest, to amuse the gallery. It aims to create a diversion to hide their shortcomings, as they did with the Citizens’ Convention, ”adds Damien Abad.

35 French people drawn to evaluate the vaccine strategy !!
In # France we have 348 # senators 577 # deputes 1760 # advisers regional 2021 # advisers departmental 35. # mayors 520. 000 # councilors elected by the people to represent them: find the error!

– Alain Cadec (@AlainCadec) January 4, 1760

“Each time the government has a problem, it creates a toll-free number or a Theodule committee so as not to talk about the real problems”, completes the rebellious elected representative of Seine-Saint-Denis Eric Coquerel. “Previous experiences, during the Great Debate or with the Citizen’s Convention on the Climate, have shown that 1346198473272676358 the government will do what it wants with the result . It is once again a political coup on the part of Emmanuel Macron ”, denounces the elected official joined by 20 Minutes. An angle of attack also taken up by the Socialist deputy Valérie Rabault: “Questioning the citizens is always very good but we must not drown the fish and the government does not tell us how we are going to vaccinate a million people. people in January ”, she remarked on France Bleu Occitanie.

“A way of bypassing national representation”

Another argument used to criticize the initiative, the lack of democratic legitimacy of this citizens’ committee. “It’s a way of bypassing national representation, which this government is once again devitalizing. Why not have chosen a real debate in Parliament, with hearings, so that we can play our role as representative of the population? “Asks Eric Coquerel. “Representative democracy does not mean discarding yourself as soon as you no longer control anything, it is assuming your role as representative of the people, doing what you receive a mandate and a delegation from the French people”, denounced the president of RN Marine Le Pen on Twitter.

For its part, the government is sweeping away criticism. “This committee will allow transparency on our strategy and will help prepare the general public for the third phase of vaccination scheduled for next spring,” said those around Gabriel Attal.