[Reader-list] Hindu again playing the mouthpiece of Chinese government?

[TaraPrakash]

Hi all. The following Hindu editorial seems to ignore a basic question which everyone sensible in the world (including China) is asking. How come the buildings housing the government offices remained in tact where as thousands of schools were flattened by the quake? How much prepared the government was to help its citizens in this earth quake prone area can be inferred from the fact that the government officials are asking the residents for things like hammers and shovels. It is not unusual that a government fails the expectations of the victims of a calamity (The US government did miserably at the time of hurricane Katrina which devastated the entire New Orleans) why is the Hindu trying to conceal the corruption and the poor performance of thee Chinese government? From whom? I can never find the answer.




Challenge and response in China 

The May 12 earthquake, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, in China's south-western Sichuan province has taken a confirmed toll of over 19,500 lives. It
is feared that the number of dead could be above 50,000. The toll would have been higher but for the quick and efficient response by the government and
the diligence shown by the rescue machinery. Amidst the gloom of many people buried under debris, beyond all help, there are moving accounts of children,
women, and t he elderly being rescued. Even rare giant pandas have survived in reserves. In cities like Chengdu, people experiencing aftershocks showed
presence of mind by moving to the safety of open spaces such as parks and streets. But helpless citizens in places like Dujiangyan and Yingxiu bore the
brunt of the quake. The calamity brings back memories of the much deadlier earthquake of July 1976 in Tangshan, which also had an identical Richter reading;
that quake flattened most of the city buildings and it took the region a long time to recover. The rapid economic strides made by China over the past three
decades have helped the official machinery come up with a praiseworthy response in Sichuan. The Chinese news agency Xinhua's extensive reportage provides
many details of the authorities acting speedily to mobilise thousands of trained rescue and relief workers, paratroopers, health personnel, engineers,
and communications technicians. If anything hampered the precise relief mission in some places, it was the heavy rain. Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to the
affected region provided reassurance to the population and galvanised the official response.

Natural calamities on the scale of the Myanmar cyclone or the Asian tsunami are not frequent, with the infrequency lulling the public as well as the establishment
into inaction between such events. It is here that governments must play an active role and make safety a public priority. Constructed structures, which
people depend upon for safety, are often the most dangerous places during an earthquake. Enforcing building codes for the various seismic zones without
compromise, and ensuring quality standards for construction materials and processes, provide reliable long-term safety. This is borne out by the experience
of earthquake-prone developed countries, notably Japan and the United States. No less important is strong public infrastructure. In Sichuan, adequate numbers
of satellite telephones provided vital communications, while teams worked to restore roads, power, and water. In the days ahead, there will be much to
learn from China's experience in restoring normal life after an earthquake.