What else after Avian influenza?
What else after Avian influenza?
Disaster after disaster has marked the ascension of Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) as President of the Republic of Indonesia
inaugurated on Oct. 20 following the historic and peaceful direct
legislative and presidential elections last year. Roughly a month
after that the country was rocked by an earthquake in Alor, East
Nusa Tenggara province, and a month later in mid December,
similar disaster hit the town of Nabire, in Papua province.
Two weeks after that, exactly on Dec. 26, when he was in Papua
to meet the victims of the earlier quake, a major tectonic
earthquake measuring 9.3 on Richter scale, followed by a massive
tsunami, hit the province of Aceh and part of North Sumatra
causing no less than 120,000 fatalities, mostly in Aceh. This
huge and monstrous tsunami, which also hit surrounding countries
like Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives and Bangladesh awakened
the world, and Indonesia became the focus of a massive
international aid and relief operation with pledges of billions
of dollars for reconstruction of the devastated areas.
Four months after that, another disaster, polio arose -- a
highly infectious viral disease that invades the nervous system
and can cause total paralysis, even death. It prompted the
government to launch a nationwide polio vaccination campaign.
Barely a month later, the other disaster that put this country
entered into the international spotlight were the hundreds of
reported cases of severe malnutrition around the country, and
even in areas where there is a rice surplus. It was proven later
that most part of the country's provinces had pockets of severe
malnutrition.
The latest disaster, which has just been thrust into the
spotlight is avian influenza and the first case of human deaths
here. So far, this virus has hit 132 regencies/municipalities in
21 provinces causing the death of around 9.53 million chickens
and ducks (Republika, July 25). In terms of human casualties,
three people from one family in Tangerang regency have died.
All of these aforementioned disasters, to those who believe
that all things are predestined by God, including President SBY,
would see that behind all these disasters, there will one day be
a day of prosperity. That is, if he continues on with his
relentless effort to clamp down on corruption cases, which have
caused a lot of suffering to the people.
M. RUSDI
Jakarta