Sharing the same fate<\/p>\n
If we talk about globalization, it covers all segments of life
\nand it happens in all parts of the world. Let us take for example
\ncorruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN). KKN is certainly not
\nthe monopoly of Indonesia. Newspapers reported the scandal in
\nGermany in which former chancellor Helmut Kohl was involved in
\ncorruption. In China, where the penalty for corruption can be
\nsevere, graft is still rampant.<\/p>\n
Poverty: Although refugee camps in East Timor, Maluku and Aceh
\nare still full of displaced persons, CNN on Feb. 10, 2000,
\nreported that Japan, the most affluent country in Asia, harbors
\n6,000 homeless people in Tokyo alone and there are 20,000 in the
\nentire country. CNN showed the homeless people shivering from the
\ncold; the temperature in winter can drop below freezing.
\nApparently the government provides them with hot meals and
\ncommunal barracks, where they find shelter from the potentially
\nfatal cold.<\/p>\n
Ruthlessness: Many expatriates in Indonesia undoubtedly could
\nnot help shuddering from fear when, some time ago, a local TV
\nstation showed a Taiwan woman screaming in anguish when her left
\narm was cut off by a hoodlum after she resisted his attempt to
\nsteal her gold ring. BBC TV and the Newsweek edition of Feb. 14
\nshowed Dr. Shipman in London who coldbloodedly murdered 15
\nelderly women; it is estimated that another 120 women must have
\nbeen murdered during his 20 years in practice. That a man whose
\ntask is to save people's lives could do such things is beyond my
\nunderstanding.<\/p>\n
Newsweek reported that on the pretext of taking a blood
\nsample, Dr. Shipman would inject a lethal dose of heroin, then
\nwatched as the drug took effect. What is astonishing about the
\nwhole drama is that the motive of the killings is unclear.<\/p>\n
Disaster: Local TV reports showed flooded areas in Jakarta. I
\nhave the greatest compassion for people who experience such a
\nnatural disaster. The children on TV were laughing because they
\ngot a swimming pool for free, but they did not realize that the
\nseptic tanks of the houses had overflowed and floods bring
\nvarious diseases, such as cholera, dysentery, etc.<\/p>\n
On Feb. 11, TV reports showed that many parts of Johannesburg
\nin South Africa were inundated under two meters of water and 50
\npeople were killed. So if per chance we are the victims of such a
\ndisaster, we can console ourselves with the thought that people
\nin other parts of the world share the same fate.<\/p>\n
A. DJUANA<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sharing-the-same-fate-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }