When Mother Nature strikes

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."