The walking dead

The walking dead

In the first weeks of the aftermath of the tsunami of Dec. 26,
we were stunned by the severity of the destruction, and thankful
for the many small miracles of survival told by enduring
residents.

Rizal Shahputra and Ari Afrizal were among the latest
survivors found after days at sea -- the latter adrift for two
weeks -- surviving on only coconuts. With many of their loved
ones probably gone forever, the two only had each other to share
while being treated at a hospital near Kuala Lumpur.

Those who survived the giant waves and the injuries during
their ordeal, have displayed the strongest imaginable will to
live. They join hundreds of thousands of others who continue to
strive for subsistence despite knowing full well there is nowhere
and no one to go home to. Rizal, for one, has said that he wishes
to remain in Malaysia after finding out that most of his family
members had perished.

Being alone in the world is the future that scores of
survivors now face -- and this makes the degree of any difficulty
of "reconstruction and rehabilitation" pale in the face of the
work of healing their trauma and sorrow.

Many, including victims in India and Sri Lanka have lost hope
altogether, saying they wished they had not survived that fateful
morning. Losing one's family, livelihood and home in the space of
a few seconds is more than any human being should have to bear.

We hear stories and see news clips of residents walking in a
complete daze in Aceh -- their logic shattered, their sense of
direction lost.

A pedicab driver in Banda Aceh recounts his severe bouts of
depression even whilst transporting passengers in his becak. The
sudden remembrance of his wife and five children -- all lost on
that fateful tsunami Sunday -- rendering him helpless. The
understanding passengers usually look for another becak as they
leave the despondent driver frozen still in the middle of the
road.

Indonesians have rarely treated patients suffering from mental
illness with proper respect. Rather than empathy, mockery is the
unfortunate common reaction.

But the psychological burdens of survivors will be an
important aspect to reconcile if this nation ever wants to
comprehensively rebuild Aceh.

How far psychologists sent to Aceh will be able to help --
even with the help of medical personnel experienced in other
crisis hit areas -- is far from clear, perhaps even questionable.
Even seasoned aid workers from places like Chechnya and Maluku
said the aftermath of the tsunami was nothing like they had ever
witnessed before.

The early reports of signs of trauma and depression have only
begun to surface.

The spontaneous activity of psychologists like Seto Mulyadi,
the head of the National Commission for Children's Rights, and
those from foreign and international bodies, along with
counselors and therapists from various organizations, should not
only be commended, but receive our long term support.

They have correctly raised an important aspect of healing,
which most of us could not even conceive unless we ourselves fell
prey to such a traumatic experience.

It is a thankless, and seemingly endless, task which gets
little attention, yet requires complete sacrifice on the part of
the carer.

Just look at one Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) volunteer who
is reportedly giving company to a 15-year-old girl who survived
the tsunami, but had to have her arm amputated.

Many more will need such companionship and it will consume
more time than the ridiculous deadline of three months by which
officials say the government will then begin to take over relief
operations.

Experts in various fields would be needed -- the surviving
fishermen from vanished coastal villages, for instance, must be
assisted to start anew if indeed they want to see the ocean
again.

This tragedy is unprecedented. Hence our desire to help should
also elicit a non-conventional response. Dropping sacks of rice
and building new homes is not enough.

A complete panacea -- for mind and body -- should be the top
priority for our government instead of fussing about how long
foreign aid workers should be allowed to remain in Aceh.