Idle tears
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?