Two natural disasters have put national governments, NGOs, and international organizations under the political microscope, even as rescure missions continue in Myanmar and China following deadly and distructive tradgedies. Forbes.com reports that while nationalism may be hindering rescue efforts in Myanmar (formerly Bhurma), the Times Online reports that international Olympic-focused pressure may have resulted in a quicker, more transparent response from the Chinese government."China scrambled the jets. Myanmar turned back planes bringing food.
Two natural disasters 1,100 miles apart have put a spotlight on the responses of the governments concerned. China is saving lives. Myanmar is adding to its already horrific death toll.
On Monday afternoon, a massive earthquake--the worst in three decades--hit southw
estern China, leaving nearly 10,000 people dead, according to Xinhua, China’s government news agency. The killer quake had a magnitude of 7.9, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and triggered a number of powerful aftershocks. Houses swayed in Chengdu, the nearest big city, just 55 miles away, and buildings shook hundreds of miles away in Beijing and Shanghai. (Pictured at right is a primary school that collapsed, killing 4 childred.) The Chinese government--criticized for its slow responses to the recent heavy snowstorms, epidemics and water pollution disasters--immediately rushed to help earthquake victims. Just hours after the quake, President Hu Jintao told members of the Politburo Standing Committee that rescuing earthquake victims was their top priority. Premier Wen Jiabao flew to the stricken region, and the Chinese press displayed photographs of him planning the relief effort with other officials on his plane on the way there. “If there is a gleam of hope, we will do all the best to save the people,” Wen vowed, according to China Daily.
(Pictured at right, Reuters reports In the first hint that the death toll could be serious, Wen Jiabao, the Chinese Premier, immediately set of for Sichuan).
4 comments:
As I said in class today, xenophobia is probably at work in Myanmar as much as nationalism and sheer corruption. Some cultures look with horror on what they see as pagan values in other countries (and not just in the United States!). The Myanmar government clearly knows that information about the outside world will come in with aid, and that scares them. The only way they can maintain their stranglehold on the people is to keep them dumb. We've gone over that many times in English and Gov. As for China, I'm glad they're making an effort to help the earthquake victims, although I can't help but question their motives based on their past human rights record and the slow response to the blizzards, etc. Hopefully, the PRC will make a habit of moving quickly to help disaster victims. On a slightly different note, NGOs and international organizations are extremely helpful in adding to a government's response. They help take the strain off the state, especially if a disaster overwhelms the state's available resources. They can also be helpful in planning for future responses.
In short: China looks like it's got a handle on the situation. Myanmar is a disaster. The junta's legitimacy is zero now, and conditions are ripe for unrest. It's a powder keg, and I think someone's going to strike a match...
I agree with Garrett about both China and Myanmar. From what I've read, Myanmar is a disaster. It's really sad that the government is more concerned about their referendum than the thousands of people dead/dying throughout the country. In addition, the refusal of aid? I would definitely not hesitate to take aid from other countries if it were my people in that situation. I've read about refusing aid packages because the packages have other countries' names/leaders printed on the outside. It seems like a terrible time to be playing the political game...
China, however, is doing a much better job. Not that its a great situation there, but at least the government is doing SOMETHING. My cousin actually just left China a few days before the earthquake!
The 2 Regular Guys blog on the "Tale of two Governments:"
"Historically, the Chinese have tried to cover up bad news (like the SARS epidemic of 2003) by not revealing the whole truth and by censoring the state-controlled media.
"But the Chinese government has allowed the Chinese and foreign media unprecedented access to this disaster zone as the world learns about the extent of this tragedy almost 24/7....
"The same can’t be said in Myanmar where the military regime’s response has been nothing short of insidious.
The governing junta has blocked foreign aid shipments and siphoned off aid for its soldiers as it continues to export rice. Upwards of 200,000 people could die of disease and starvation, in the aftermath.
While Myanmar teeters on the brink of an unprecedented humanitarian tragedy, its leaders pursue plans to seek public approval of a previously scheduled constitutional referendum. It is expected that the decimated country will overwhelmingly endorse the military junta through this sham election because there is no alternative.
Like the chaos caused by Hurricane Katrina, any disaster can reveal the weakness of government preparation. Earthquakes—like the Mexico City earthquake of 1985-- can prove to be especially devastating to a government’s legitimacy when corruption allows builders to ignore more stringent construction codes in dangerous areas.
But in countries lacking democratic institutions, there is little to guarantee that a government, which is not accountable to the people, will learn from its mistakes.
Government commissions of every level were established to investigate the failures of government planners in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The ensuing public pressure and demand for better public service works—at the very least— put government officials on notice that improvement was expected.
While this type of public pressure is not part of the political culture in China or Mynamar, the Chinese response to its earthquake seems to indicate an awareness of how devastating these types of disasters can."
Nice post and this mail helped me alot in my college assignement. Thanks you seeking your information.
Post a Comment