Excuses, reasons and lip services
12th May
News of atrocities, manipulations and inhumane gestures have been reported since the aftermath of cyclone Nargis. Many things have been said to justify why aid has not arrived, poor infrastructures and mainly the xenophobia of the junta of not allowing access for foreign aid expertises on the soil of Burma.
On the ground, local ad hoc community groups are working hand in hand with local monasteries in areas of disaster to feed congregations of victims in groups whether large and small. They get together, cook the food and distribute them and when cash is available, it is cleverly passed onto the victims without getting the attention of the junta. This is important as not only would the junta want a “cut” but they also want the publicity of doing “good”. After all they have been suffering under the decision of “refusal to take alms” imposed by the monks on members of the junta and this a good chance for these thugs to get some “free” merit that is associated with giving donations to counter their common kind of activities, like robbing aid convoys, beating up people in peaceful demonstration or their current pet project in bullying and lying to get people to vote “YES” for the referendum for the junta’s draft constitution.
Another way to explain this is that the junta and cronies would not allow any persons or groups, whether local or foreign, to gain publicity for doing something good (especially not to foreign entities as this would mean admitting their own inadequacy in dealing with the disaster). They definitely have their hands full in preventing this, as almost anything done by anyone looks good compared to what is being done (or not done) by the junta. You can’t go wrong here.
While the ad hoc groups could organise and feed the distressed so long as they could get hold of some funds, the foreign aid groups (FAGs) that are based in Burma has not been able to do as much. These FAGs (usually refered to as INGOs- international NGOs) who had signed MoUs (Memorandums of Understanding) with the junta, operating in the country for many years, could be seen making statements in the media about the poor infrastructures, power outage and the lack of cooperation from the junta. What have they been doing inside Burma?
Those holding higher positions in such organisations are very well remunerated, their foreign middle executive, e.g. translator and project leaders draw 70 -100x the local average income while members of their local staff will be 10x (an average local income in 2007 will be between USD 15 to 20 and if the person is lucky it will include food and accommodation). This knowledge created a set of meanings where every foreigners working in Burma are being perceived to be well funded. Those who are volunteers and working with low or tight budget are being judged as keeping fund for themselves and not paying the local employees or collaborators well.
10 years ago, to get 260 km into the countryside the travel will take nearly 9 hrs, now it is between 5 to 6 hrs. Travel is still difficult on a normal day. Irregular, periodic and inconsistent power supply is general knowledge so is having no power outside the city. Power comes only from generators and road side lights are non existence.
It is common knowledge (at least for those that had experience working in Burma or with organisations in there) that the junta and cronies are adverse to anyone challenging their hold on media publicity; averting international attention and counter propaganda are some of their other specialities. SO it is perfectly normal that they would paste their own labels with names of generals onto the boxes and rations of foreign aid materials (material from friendly countries that have been allowed in) and want their people to operate distribution by refusing visas to foreign aid workers or simply hijacking aid convoys when found along the way. There are checkpoints along all major roads leading in and out of Yangon. Again this should be common knowledge to the foreign aid agencies.
Why is there no Plan B for these known conditions? Plan A was to do what’s agreed on the MoU and scenario projections will know that this plan does not work during disasters. Those who have learn fast have now started to work to pass on funds to the local established and ad hoc groups to assist the victims but this should be well planned in advance and not being improvised now. OR is it also necessary for the FAGs to orchestra their own propaganda machine, to have their logo on their staff, their logo on their aid and to create documentation for their media machinery? Just like the junta.
At whose cost? More Burmese will die.
The first boat carrying aid from the International Committee of the Red Cross managed by their local office sunk on the 11th because of carelessness in the navigation through the debris filled water (anyone sailing through water after a cyclone or typhoon will look out for floating or sunken debris just like driving along the road when temperature goes below zero will look out for icy patch if it has just rain). You can’t say you don’t know.
So even the local staffs from the city have their limitation if they venture out of their territory without being well trained. I think the operating strategies of the FAGs need to be rethought long before anything happen and not used now as….. .
If the local groups are given only a fraction of what these international FAGs receive, they will be able to provide most of the immediate aid to feed and house the people.
I would admit that the locals will not be able to man any high tech equipment, but you don’t need specialists to cook local food and distribute them.
Cyclone Nargis – Myanmar
On May 2, 2008 cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar.
22,464 Dead(official); 100,000 Dead(estimated); 41,054 Missing (official);1 million Homeless (estimated).
This blog is set up to spread news of what is happening in the disaster struck areas.
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