When Mother Nature strikes

Mother Nature has been particularly ruthless in recent times. As if reminding us the magnitude of her supremacy, in less than a year she has wreaked unspeakable havoc on the coastlines of the Indian Ocean, brought the world's most advanced nation to her knees and over the weekend buried thousands in a concrete grave with a shake of her finger.

We join President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in extending condolences to the people of Pakistan over the deadly earthquake. Indonesians following news of the temblor must feel a sense of de ja vu as casualties continue to rise with ever new update. It is estimated that the death toll could reach well over 30,000.

As a country still reeling from its own natural devastations and restrained by its economic limitations, Susilo was nevertheless correct in dispatching a plane-load of emergency supplies and a medical team to Pakistan.

The effort may prove a token gesture given the scale of the devastation, but it is a sincere show of goodwill which underlines the extent of relations between the two countries and this nation's humanitarian spirit.

Indonesians clearly remember President Pervez Musharraf being among the leading figures who attended the Asian-African Summit in Jakarta in April. His extended presence in Jakarta and Bandung for the series of events to mark the summit was a sign of his commitment to regional cooperation. Nowhere is the realization of such cooperation more needed than at times of great need such as now.

We call on international agencies and the world's most affluent nations to extend even further, without haste, their assistance to peoples in the effected region. In mourning the thousands dead, the world must not neglect the millions who are suffering.

As the cold winter wind begins to blow thousands of tents and supplies are needed to prevent the death toll from escalating further.

We in Indonesia truly understand that relief efforts are not a transitory endeavor. A sustained effort is required to save, rehabilitate and rebuild the lives shaken by this tragedy. The world has the resources and skill to deal with this sort of calamity. It is now a question of management and political will to place these relief resources to good work.

It is during times of great hardship that neighbors become most valuable. We heartened that India, despite its long-running feud with Pakistan, has shown immediate empathy. It is our sincere hope that out of the rubble of this calamity can bring the two warring states towards a more sustained peace, the way amity was ushered in the wake of the tsunami in Aceh.

There are always lessons to be learned from every great turn of events. This latest earthquake should remind us once again that while we cannot prevent nature from unleashing her might, the impact can be lessened by applying appropriate technology and common sense.

The temblor may have been of divine will. But the scale of loss could have possibly been constrained, albeit slightly, by human intervention. We are reminded by Turkish geologist Simav Bargu's comments in the wake of a devastating earthquake in his country in 1999, which killed some 40,000 people. Responding to hysterical remarks that the suffering was an act of providence, he replied: "This talk of God's punishment is rubbish. It has to do with how we build our houses".

It took a great tsunami to remind Indonesians that coastal villages across the western seaboard of Sumatra are prone to giant waves and in the future their way of life should adjusted accordingly.

For people in Pakistan and other earthquake prone areas, the manner in which homes are constructed should account for the likelihood of temblors. It is not a case of if, but when a quake will jolt residents.

It is time to prove Lord Byron's sonnet -- that "all tragedies are finished by a death."