United in crisis

United in crisis

Nothing could have prepared this nation -- not the government
and certainly not the people -- to face Sunday's calamity.

Measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale, the earthquake off the
northwestern coast of Sumatra was the most powerful tremor
recorded around the globe in over 40 years. The towering tidal
waves that ensued -- and which caused the majority of deaths --
were rare occurrences in the Indian Ocean. An expert at the
Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu said the Indian Ocean
faced such catastrophes once every 700 years.

Even if there had been an early warning system -- like those
in place in most Pacific rim countries -- it would not have made
much difference to Indonesia: We would not have had the time to
warn the people in northern Sumatra of the impending disaster
because of our proximity to the epicenter.

A warning system might have saved lives in India, Malaysia,
the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand, toward which the tsunami
traveled some 60 to 90 minutes across the ocean before hitting
their shores. For Indonesia, however, Sunday's quake was just too
powerful and the tidal waves came too fast to handle.

One lesson to take away from this disaster is the need for
countries bordering the Indian Ocean to cooperate and set up an
early warning system modeled on the Pacific system. If a massive
quake should occur in the Maldives -- whether tomorrow or in 700
years' time -- those of us in Indonesia would surely like to hear
of it in time and have a chance to prepare for it, for example by
evacuating people along the coasts.

With the death toll in the six affected countries exceeding
15,000 and growing -- including more than at least 5,000 in
Indonesia -- the disaster is horrific.

Tragic though it may be, it is not so much the figure that is
mind-boggling, as after a while, the number of dead will become a
mere statistic and fade in the collective consciousness.

More devastating than this are the survivors' tales as told
through photographs: of lifeless children lined up in an Aceh
morgue; of a wailing young woman nudging her dead baby in the
vain hope of reviving it; of a man grieving over his dead child;
of families sifting through the ruins of what were once their
homes; of fishing boat floating lifelessly and unmoored.

This nation was on full alert over Christmas weekend against
possible terrorist attacks. Instead, a worse disaster struck us.

With terrorism, we could at least vent our anger at the
perpetrators; with natural disasters, we cannot blame anyone in
particular -- not even God -- nor can we pinpoint their exact
cause for all our powers of reasoning.

From a spiritual point of view, perhaps it was a sign that we
need to be more sensitive as regards the well-being of our fellow
countrymen.

Certainly, our reaction and response to Sunday's calamity was
found wanting. Most local TV stations continued to air their
regular Sunday evening programs of dangdut music, game shows and
other entertainment programs even after the government declared a
national disaster and called for public support.

The people of Alor Island in East Nusa Tenggara and Nabire in
Papua, which were recently struck by deadly earthquakes, are
probably familiar with the insensitivity of fellow Indonesians
about their fate.

At least the government responded swiftly, and in declaring a
national disaster, it opened the doors to massive aid -- domestic
and foreign -- to be channeled to victims as quickly as possible.
One consequence of this move is that aid can now be distributed
directly to the affected provinces, bypassing the cumbersome
Jakarta red tape that delayed relief operations in the past.

Foreign aid is most welcome and is vital, but it is usually
available as immediate relief operations and medical/food aid,
but not beyond.

For most survivors, the real challenge begins once they have
overcome their grief and shock, as they go about the heartrending
task of rebuilding their homes and shattered lives. It is the
responsibility of the Indonesian people and their government to
provide the sorely needed long-term support. The calamity that
struck our countrymen in Aceh and North Sumatra is too big for
them to face alone.

In spite of the indifference shown on Sunday night, we, as a
people, have risen to the challenge on many occasions in times of
crises; it is this shared experience that has brought this nation
together.

This time is no exception. As we help the survivors of Aceh
and North Sumatra to rebuild their lives, we will be helping this
nation to build a future.