Reflection on floods: The mirror has two faces

One example is electricity. We can’t live without it, particularly when we have so many electricity-hungry gadgets that need to keep charged. Yet, the way to secure such power is always dangerous, even with hydropower. 

The clearest example is water. It is something that human can’t live without, but like what we have witnessed it is something that could harm human being in a disastrous way. 

The disaster indeed mirrors some good and ugly facts in our society. 

The whole world was impressed with the Japanese victims during the Great Earthquake, as they lined up in order for food and other help. Their answer was all were in trouble and we must share what we had. In Thailand, just when many had to flee home for safety, there were news about robbery. Police officers are deployed to watch over the deserted houses, rather than helping victims.

 

 

Thais are generous

On a positive side, Thais are generous. Donation accounts have mushroomed. Several Bangkok people, once learning about the tragedy in Ayutthaya, were not reluctant to lend help, until the flood-hit roads were jammed and rescue efforts were blocked. Whenever there are calls for volunteers to fill up sandbags or organise relief bags, many show up. 

But among the flow of sympathy, some are selfish enough to care the most of their properties and assets rather than others’ lives. As it turned out, a large number of vehicles are parked on any elevated roads they can find, even before floods really hit their home. The authorities gave up. On Friday, they were allowed to park as long as they keep one lane free, or it could delay needy assistance to flood victims.

Movements in the social network are also interesting. Tweet followers of @jin_nation showed us that some employees, though with flooded properties, could not take leave to ensure undisrupted services. But it puzzled me greatly to see a tweet by former Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij on Thursday night: “Why the water was diverted to Khlong Prapa?” He did not ask “How” but he used the passive voice, indicating that this flow into the canal reserved for water tapwater production was done by someone. I really hate to think that a person who was hailed as the Finance Minister of the Year – beating all finance ministers in the world – would have suggested that someone did it on purpose for the deluge into the canal caused severe floods in Bang Buathong.

In the past two weeks, I realised that we can’t judge people from the way they look. Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra looked genuinely soft, but his messages to the government were as heavy as stones. At first, he said he needed no help from the government in protecting Bangkok. As days passed by, he asked for help – sandbags. At a press conference, he sneered that it would be of help if the government could rush such delivery. Certainly, if this is not the life and death of the capital city which generates one fourth of the gross domestic product, I guessed the government would have retaliated by slowing the delivery. That’s how parents treat a child who acts as if he is grown up enough to challenge parents? 

 

 

Failing to comply

On Thursday, he also succeeded in convincing all that Bangkok flood gates were opened, to help ease floods in the north of Bangkok. It was hours later that they found out they are closed. Positively thinking, Sukhumbhand may have given an order but the officers failed to comply. For a week, he never showed up at the government relief centre’s press conferences. Then, on Friday, hours after he was ordered to comply with all government orders, he said he gave up in protecting Bangkok as he won no supports from the centre. Just as the situation gets out of control, he was willing to give the city’s key to the government, something that could be avoided if he stopped using Bangkok as a political hostage and cooperated with the centre in the first place.  

Everything tends to have two sides. But politicians may be the only one species on earth that never changes their colour.