T S U N A M I

Tsunami- yes, that is the password for this week. Today, every kid above the age of 10 should know how to spell it because we see the word everywhere. Today, for instance, the newspaper has devoted almost 20 pages to coverage on the tsunami.

First of all, I want to state that the idea of countries around the world coming together to help hand in hand in the relief efforts, in pledging donations, is very encouraging, and it is one of the few silver linings we can take from the unfortunate disaster. However, amidst the overwhelming coverage of the tsunami in almost every conceivable medium we come into contact with, some discouraging aspects have emerged:

1. Countries pledging relief are treating it as some sort of a competition to outdo one another. Germany, seeing that Japan had pledged some 500 US million dollars, promptly proceeds to trump that figure. Germany is in turn trumped by Australia, who now head the list of top donors by country, pledging 764m USD.

2. I cannot help but see the hidden intentions behind the donations from each country. Japan wants that permanent seat in the security council of the UN, hence its generous donation. Australia wants to become the big brother of Asia. PM Lee of Singapore wants to show he is no political greenhorn but a capable PM who can exert influence in ASEAN politics.

3. In many past natural disasters, a lot of the aid pledged was not delivered in the end. Is it a case of all talk but no action? (ie. 2003 Bam earthquake in Iran- 1.1b USD pledged, 17m USD delivered; 1998 Hurricane Mitch in Central America- 9 billion USD pledged, 3 billion delivered.

4. Some countries have been outrightly stingy, if I may be blunt. US donates 350m USD compared to Japan's 500m USD. China donates 60m USD. It's almost nonchalance. However, these two countries, along with many Middle Eastern states, have been criticised and subsequently pressured into upping their meagre donations. Peer pressure on an international level.

5. There is talk that money pledged often falls into the hands of corrupt officials. India and Indonesia, for instance, are no strangers to corruption- their bureaucracies are notorious.

6. Some relief workers allegedly agreed to help some disaster victims on the condition that the victims convert to their religion. Both relief workers of the Christian faith and the Muslim faith have been so accused.

7. The disaster has also reopened religious discussion- If there was a god who was all powerful and kind, why would he allow such a thing to happen? Religious leaders of various faiths have promptly responded but some replies seemed dubious to me. (Note: This is purely my subjective opinion on what I know is a highly divisive issue.) For instance, one leader said it was one of the trials that the god wanted people to go through. Another said it was punishment for the immoral lifestyles led by the people of the region.

8. A lot of the kindness and altruism for the tsunami disaster is a result of the widespread coverage the tragedy has received. I'm not saying it's a bad thing- by no means, but let's put things in perspective when we look at what has happened to other tragedies in the world when there has been little or no publicity.
- 1976- An earthquake devastated Tianjin, China, killing at least 255,000 people. Some experts even think the death toll was 655,000. No relief on a worldwide scale was pledged because China was still having a closed-door policy back then.
- 5.5k people die from malaria daily. 125k die of TB monthly, 2million kids below 5 die of cholera and dysentry yearly. This is hardly reflected in the news at all. 1k people die daily in the Congo due to civil strife.
- Measles. 900k kids die yearly from measles. But the shocking thing is that a vaccination costs just 26 US cents per person, and this vaccination has been around for the last 30 years. But nothing is done about these 900k lives. To vaccinate all of them would have cost 234k USD, which is about the price of one five-room HDB unit in Tampines.
Is the media coverage warped?

Just food for thought before we plonk that hundred dollars in for the relief efforts. Donate, yes, but if you care to donate do spare a thought for the other movements out there that need your dollar just as badly.