Haiti and After

Going through accounts about how the earthquake brought down the already poor nation Haiti to the ground, I felt a sense of dismay at what the world has made of this poor nation. If Haiti had been branded as “one of the poorest nations” in the world, then who could be held responsible. If there are over 200,000 people have been killed alive within minutes of the earthquake, everyone on earth is responsible for their lives. It is true that the government was literally defunct, and there were no social structures which were working, and to add fuel to the fire, the natural calamity. I was saddened as I read The Tablet cover story on the aftermath of the quake in Haiti.

The international community rushed in aid and personnel to help the people of Haiti to recover from the loss of lives, of all that they had earned for years, but if one per cent of the population had been enjoying 50 per cent of the national wealth, who is responsible? You and me! We are no longer citizens of our own little worlds; the boundaries of our worlds had been broadened by the advent of modern technology. Within a few minutes after any major calamity in any part of the world, we are able to see the victims and hear the cries, as if they were our next door neighbors. It is the speed of communication to transmit information, which has made our world a global village.

One of the greatest obstacles to justice and equality in the world is the stubbornness of the developed countries, alias the First World, to open the floodgates of their wealth to reach the deserving populations of the world. We now know that the excessive wealth of the developed nations does not belong to them, and if they are honest, they would acknowledge that the wealth was ill-gotten. Doing charity or dolling out a pittance is not going to help the poorer nations to come to the level of self-sustenance; what they require is not charity, but sharing on equal terms. The wealthy nations may feel superior to come to the aid of the poor nations; but it is their responsibility to do so.

It is not at all impossible for the United States to commit itself to rebuild the ravished Haiti, and they have all the resources and technology to do so, and the international community would welcome the US if it had come up with such a stand. But unfortunately there would be too few takers for such bold steps, and they would find a hundred and one reasons why they should never do such a thing. The international community is helping Haiti to come to terms with it, to rebuild their houses from the scratch, and deep down no one can remove the constant fear lurking deep within them, if nature would show her wild face again.

But there is a saving grace; the major natural calamities have brought the nations to come together to rub shoulders, to put their heads together to find amicable solutions. Tsunami was one such moment, and today it is Haiti’s earthquake, and that is not the end. Even as we rebuild Haiti, we know something more drastic may take place soon, and the world has to be prepared to face it. If the rich nations are able to feel deep down their bones that the men and women suffering across the borders are their own brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, then there will not be a need to dole out a pittance as charity to help them, they would keep their doors wide open for the poor to enter in, and make it a better place to live in!