Today in the New Straits Times:
Ouch!
The Malay term itu banjir means “that is a flood”.
If the joke is lost on you, see an entry on Eye on Malaysia and another one on what the Prime Minister did during a national disaster for some background.
Heck. Just go and read Bakri Musa’s.
What lesson could we derive from the recent Taiwanese earthquake?
Adam Smith is right.
The earthquake caused massive communication disruption across East Asia. The local blogosphere blogs incessantly about the disruption and the frustration and inconvenience that it brings along.
I have yet to see a blog that talks about the victims of the earthquake though. Even the mass media, local and international, are concentrating on the repair effort of the damaged transmission cable, not on the direct victims, the ones that have lost relatives and friends.
In 1759, in The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Adam Smith writes:
Let us suppose that the great empire of China, with all its myriads of inhabitants, was suddenly swallowed up by an earthquake, and let us consider how a man of humanity in Europe, who had no sort of connexion with that part of the world, would be affected upon receiving intelligence of this dreadful calamity. He would, I imagine, first of all, express very strongly his sorrow for the misfortune of that unhappy people, he would make many melancholy reflections upon the precariousness of human life, and the vanity of all the labours of man, which could thus be annihilated in a moment.
…And when all this fine philosophy was over, when all these humane sentiments had been once fairly expressed, he would pursue his business or his pleasure, take his repose or his diversion, with the same ease and tranquility, as if no such accident had happened. The most frivolous disaster which could befall himself would occasion a more real disturbance. If he was to lose his little finger to-morrow, he would not sleep to-night ; but, provided he never saw them, he will snore with the most profound security over the ruin of a hundred millions of his brethren, and the destruction of that immense multitude seems plainly an object less interesting to him, than this paltry misfortune of his own.
Or, paraphrased by Mel Brooks:
Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die.
While the first part is true, Smith continues:
Human nature startles with horror at the thought, and the world, in its greatest depravity and corruption, never produced such a villain as could be capable of entertaining it. But what makes this difference? When our passive feelings are almost always so sordid and so selfish, how comes it that our active principles should often be so generous and so noble? When we are always so much more deeply affected by whatever concerns ourselves, than by whatever concerns other men; what is it which prompts the generous, upon all occasions, and the mean upon many, to sacrifice their own interests to the greater interests of others? It is not the soft power of humanity, it is not that feeble spark of benevolence which Nature has lighted up in the human heart, that is thus capable of counteracting the strongest impulses of self-love. It is a stronger power, a more forcible motive, which exerts itself upon such occasions. It is reason, principle, conscience, the inhabitant of the breast, the man within, the great judge and arbiter of our conduct. It is he who, whenever we are about to act so as to affect the happiness of others, calls to us, with a voice capable of astonishing the most presumptuous of our passions, that we are but one of the multitude, in no respect better than any other in it; and that when we prefer ourselves so shamefully and so blindly to others, we become the proper objects of resentment, abhorrence, and execration. It is from him only that we learn the real littleness of ourselves, and of whatever relates to ourselves, and the natural misrepresentations of self-love can be corrected only by the eye of this impartial spectator. It is he who shows us the propriety of generosity and the deformity of injustice; the propriety of resigning the greatest interests of our own, for the yet greater interests of others, and the deformity of doing the smallest injury to another, in order to obtain the greatest benefit to ourselves. It is not the love of our neighbour, it is not the love of mankind, which upon many occasions prompts us to the practice of those divine virtues. It is a stronger love, a more powerful affection, which generally takes place upon such occasions; the love of what is honourable and noble, of the grandeur, and dignity, and superiority of our own characters.
Whether the second part of the “finger and earthquake scenario” would occur, that is yet to be seen. But we certainly will not see it coming from Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. After taking a short leave from holidaying abroad, he has gone back on vacation. This is amid warnings of a second wave of floods.
What had happened in New Orleans during the aftermath of Katrina is happening in Johor. Looting has been reported:
SEGAMAT: The ugly side of human nature has started to emerge from the floods that have hit several states — there are reports of looting and people are claiming that certain parties, including uniformed personnel, have asked for money before rescuing victims.
This is a major disaster, make no mistake of that. But where is the Prime Minister?
Just like in New Orleans, this is becoming a failure in leadership.
Borrowing Bakri Musa’s phrase: Undurlah Pak Lah!
p/s – Ego amid disaster:
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 (Bernama) — Malaysia does not need foreign help to tackle the severe flood situation in the country, which so far has claimed six lives, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak.
Najib, who is also Defence Minister and chairman of the National Disaster Management and Relief Committee, said Malaysia was capable of handling the situation and that flood relief efforts were put in motion the moment floods struck in the states of Johor, Pahang, Kelantan, Negri Sembilan and Melaka.
“We will handle it ourselves. The situation has stabilised… no need (for foreign help),” he said at a press conference at the Defence Ministry here today when asked if Malaysia would accept foreign help in tackling the disaster.
If I were the top executive person in the government, I’d accept any sincere help from anybody.
pp/s – the PM is finally back in Malaysia, more than five days after tragedy struck:
During his visit Saturday, Abdullah took a helicopter ride for an aerial view of the extent of the floods in several districts of Johor, such as Muar, Batu Pahat and Kota Tinggi.
The prime minister also saw the extent of the floods in Melaka.
Despite all the bad decisions Bush had made, at least during the aftermath of Katrina, when New Orleans fell into anarchy, he as the President of the United States committed himself to the rescue effort mobilized throughout the affected areas. While Johor and several other states are suffering major flooding, one has to wonder, where’s our Prime Minister?
He’s not in Malaysia but instead, he’s still on holiday, vacationing, somewhere abroad. When I read a blogger expressing his disgust of that fact, I share the blogger’s sentiment. Moreover, with people, real Malaysians, are cut off from power, clean water and food as long as four days, the Prime Minister is more interested in defending himself against an allegation that he purchased a MYR 30 million yatch.
As far as the flood is concerned, I honestly believe that our Prime Minister has failed us, Malaysians. In absence of the top executive person in the country, the Deputy Prime Minister taken over the job of sorting this out. The Johor Chief Minister seems to be active in the rescue effort too. Kudos to them but the jury is out there. They will have to excel if both of them prefer history to be kind to them.
I’m so glad that a state-wide emergency has been declared:
Malaysia had declared a state of emergency yesterday and civil defense personnel, volunteers, and members of the armed forces took part in evacuation and rescue operations.
I can’t find any local media reporting an the declaration of the emergency. I’m not sure whether that’s due to my ignorance, the fact that the media has yet to report it or the foreign source is wrong. Assuming good faith, nevertheless, if this is an emergency as I understand it, the emergency allows state and federal machineries to direct full energy into the ongoing rescue effort. The declaration of emergency however makes the Prime Minister looks even worse — Prime Minister is nowhere in sight amid state-sanctioned emergency!
Today, the Prime Minister expresses sadness over the disaster:
Najib said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi expressed his sadness over the flood situation and asked the Federal and state agencies to help the people. Abdullah had conveyed the message to Najib over the phone.
Mr. Prime Minister, merely expressing sadness is not enough. You must act on it. Come back home and supervise the rescue effort in Johor and other states. According to a news report, residents in the affected areas have been without food and water as many as four days. How long since you last had your dinner, Mr. Prime Minister?