Idle tears
From Sabang to Merauke, Indonesians acted without deliberation to support their brothers and sisters facing Sunday's calamity. A spontaneous show of solidarity that was both encouraging and touching to witness.
The immediacy of public reaction also demonstrated that, though this nation is diverse, its people are united in their hearts. The daily prejudices of politics, ethnicity and religion have been momentarily forgotten, as the suffering of the people of Aceh and North Sumatra becomes a national preoccupation.
In numerous housing complexes, thousands of residents raised flags at half-mast as a display of their grief. Even without the vulgar display of dead bodies on TV, or the over-emotional accounts of some reporters, people across the nation were already pitching-in to lend a hand.
They telephoned and faxed pledges to institutions gathering aid for victims of the national disaster. In office buildings, employees circulated boxes and cans to fill with donations from their colleagues. Their bosses also took the initiative to seek ways in which companies could best contribute to the aid effort. Everywhere we look -- our neighbors, relatives, acquaintances, work colleagues in the cubicle or desk across the office -- somebody is doing something to help.
This is truly the kind of world we covet. It is unfortunate that the altruistic environment we seek only emerges during times of great suffering.
Billions have been pledged in private support, billions more will come from the government. Hence the money, will and resources for immediate relief is there.
Our nation is good at mourning: Being swept up in the moment, only to forget some weeks down the track. At feeling sorry for ourselves, yet doing little to purposely relieve the situation. And at making promises that make wonderful sound bites but are rarely kept.
After each and every disaster we hear officials pledging to send aid and rebuild the victims' lives, but much is neglected beyond the immediate relief period.
The earthquake in Nabire is the most recent example of how the lack of a coordinated follow-up has prolonged the suffering of residents. Two weeks after a 6.4 quake hit the area -- and no longer made the front pages of major newspapers -- hospitals there were running out of antibiotics, multivitamins, analgesics, and medication to treat various post-quake diseases, such as malaria, respiratory infections and diarrhea.
The spread of post-earthquake diseases was attributed to poor sanitation and the lack of available shelter for residents following the disaster.
We are now faced with the exact same situation, but on a larger magnitude. It is not enough to simply parachute tons of rice, noodles and blankets.
What happens the day after tomorrow, when people's empathy has shifted with the week's page one headlines?
A catastrophe the scale of this latest disaster calls for more than this simplistic, myopic and haphazard attitude. Without careful coordination and long-term planning, we are only offering passionless, hopeless grief to these victims.
There should be enough experience, technical competence and resources among private and public parties to coordinate immediate relief work.
From there, the government, in coordination with other organizations and regional administrations, must plan for the medium-term future. This would include a blueprint on rebuilding crucial infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals, and reviving the economy.
This could also include soliciting international donor assistance and how this aid is best used.
A surge of goodwill is welcome. Though a swarm of rash hands helping a drowning person can only bring about confusion.
It is good that our efforts may have saved a baby today, but are we not condemning that child to destitution if we cannot provide him with something worth growing up for, other than life in a rundown refugee camp?