Hell hath no fury like nature’s wrath. In a one week, two natural disasters in Myanmar and Sichuan China have wiped out tens of thousands. Individuals, with families, lives, plans, hopes, jobs, dreams. Life is all but transient. Its incredibly sad, but therein lies a deafening scream to all the living, to seize their moments.
In Sichuan and nearby areas affected by the earthquake, a considerable portion of victims were children trapped under poorly-built school buildings which collapsed in the shocks. Beyond questioning the safety standards of their structures, the sight of schoolchildren lying pallid and lifeless, whether in the arms of grieving parents or waiting for someone to identify them, is heart-breaking. With China’s one-child policy actively implemented since the 1980s, many parents have lost their only child. A little girl sobs uncontrollably in the news, despite Chinese Premier Wen Jia Bao’s repeated attempts to console her.
In Myanmar, the government holds such a tight rein on rescue proceedings, that little is known about the scores of people that need help. It seems ludicrous to me that even reliefs distributed to victims are plastered with names of their leaders, now convenient vehicles to uphold their regime.
Singapore pledged a donation of USD$200 000 to the victims of the Sichuan earthquake. I feel that more can be done though. The Chinese comprise 72.5% of Singaporeans and most of us have ancestral roots based in China. Given the efficiency of the GIRO deduction system, the government could use this to the need of emergency reliefs and deduct small donation amounts. In an ideal world, if every Singaporean donated a dollar, we would have amassed $4.68 million in donations. That’s too small to pinch our pockets, but a sizable donation as a nation, no? Well, this lady took out $100 000 for the victims of cyclone Nargis.
Even if the Burmese government, rumored to be pilfering from relief supplies meant for victims, were to take half of every dollar donated, should we not give so that the victims can receive some form of aid rather than none at all? With the headlines of international news bulletins focused on covering the newest, latest breaking disaster, cameras and reporters are now in China covering the earthquake, and Europe with its impending drought season. This is not helped by the Burmese regime’s reluctance to grant entry visas to foreigners. Consequences for the survivors would be terrible if the world forgot about them.
Today I read a Straits Times report on how investors were scrambling to pump their funds into China’s building and construction market, in view of the imminent demand for contractors to do large-scale rebuilding in disaster regions. I was first filled with interest, then cynicism. Images of crying faces and grey corpses are only what they are; images, to pockets lined with cash. Let us hope that the benefits reaped from their wagers on the earthquake will find a way back into the lives of the survivors and the needy.
For the world moves on quickly, the Sun also rises.
