Second Disaster

cry
Originally uploaded by fringuellina

First was the cyclone and the surge of water, the second is the Myanmar military government’s feeble response to one of its worst disasters in memory.

A week after Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta, killing thousands and affecting milliona of lives, the devastated region remained largely cut off from the rest of the world and the impoverished country's needs remain enormous. The refusal to give landing rights for relief flights as well as the refusal to allow doctors and disaster-relief experts to enter in large numbers contributed to the growing concern that starvation and epidemic diseases could end up killing people on the same scale as the storm itself. More fatal than the storm could be the junta's action.

Myanmar military government’s main reason for not letting foreign aid workers in seems to be that they are afraid of foreign influence within the country. They view foreign assistance as a potential threat to their two-decade rule. In the eyes of the military rulers, everyone, including aid workers, is a potential enemy who can spearhead the overthrow of the government. It seems clear by now that the junta members are that paranoid.

To make their idea of holding on to power clear, as hundreds of thousands of its citizens struggle for basic shelter, food and health care, the junta government holds a constitutional referendum on May 10, just one week after the cyclone. Instead of putting all resources toward saving the lives of the victims, the military has prioritized on legalizing military rule in Burma through the referendum.

From all these, I can see the regime that care more about control over the country than the lives of people. I see the regime that does little or nothing to protect or help its people in time of great crisis. I see the worst kind of despotism and irresponsible ruler that the world should not have by now.

I fully understand that voicing outrage with the junta over the aid delays or how they behave would not help improve the situation or make any difference. But for now, I just can’t help feeling frustrated and sorry for Myanmar’s people. I hope those people will receive what they deserve soon. Everything.