Comments and Opinions

Another blow for Indonesia

Comment 1 : For those living in Indonesia’s north western regions it must have felt like a nightmare. The recent earthquake has cost at least several hundred lives, and possibly rendered thousands more homeless on the island of Nias, off the north Sumatra coast.

Comment 2 : While the earthquake is not as enormous as the Boxing Day tsunami yet it is a tragedy on an enormous scale. That is why the best thing Western countries can do to prevent another devastation such as on Boxing Day is to encourage economic integration with developing countries. It means an end to trade barriers and to assist them in eradicating the corruption and cronyism that holds many of them back.

Final suggestion: We will never be able to do anything about the destructive earth on which we live. But we can create societies whose cities, buildings and institutions are better equipped to withstand nature’s assault.

Comments and Opinions

Tsunami alert on track

Comment 1 : The violent earthquake of the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra late on Monday night created a panic in Thailand and other countries around the Indian Ocean rim. It was a grim reminder that tsunamis, one of the world’s most devastating natural disasters, could strike at any time.

Comment 2 : The successful early warning system and subsequent evacuation were a good exercise, allowing us to evaluate our preparedness to respond to disasters.

Final suggestion: Above all, the costly lessons learned on Dec, 26 should convince the government that managing our country’s preparedness to deal with disaster should be left to professionals. Professionals who are free to exercise their judgement without fear of favour , or intervention from politicians.