A moment of truth for mankind

HOPEFULLY, South Asia's quake horror which has claimed tens of thousands of lives in mainly Pakistan and to a lesser degree in India and Afghanistan, would awaken the conscience of the world and prompt it into rallying round the affected states in their efforts to bring succour and relief to their bleeding and bruised populations.

This is their hour of need and the countries of Asia in particular should prove friends in deed. From this point of view, Sri Lanka's gesture of pledging US $ 100,000 for the relief effort in Pakistan is highly commendable and we urge that promise be translated into deed as quickly as possible.

Reports that relief is slow in reaching the affected regions should add a note of urgency to on-going efforts worldwide to lend the affected peoples a helping hand. May a spirit of generosity and selfless magnanimity flood the world. This is our fervent prayer as we lend our voices to the chorus of earnest solicitude raised on behalf of our affected brethren in South Asia.

Help must reach the victims of this mind-numbing tragedy very swiftly and in substantial quantities. This is also a moment of deep sadness which tests the resolve of SAARC to go quickly to the rescue of some of its brethren who are overwhelmed with pain and agony.

We believe that SAARC, while collaborating with the rest of the world in bringing relief should launch an independent SAARC initiative to provide material and emotional support to their grieving brothers. Thus will hopefully be forged, a spirit of SAARC solidarity and brotherhood which - we must admit - is yet to flower fully and bear fruit in the South Asian region. Therefore, the current trauma brings its own opportunities which we need to fully exploit.

Meanwhile, the world must get its act together in the current crisis. From what we could gather, hundreds of quake victims are yet to be rescued from the rubble and debris which have marked one of South Asia's saddest hours. Perhaps, under the aegis of the UN, a more systematic and dynamic effort would be made to bring relief to our traumatised neighbours.

At the height of the recent tsunami devastation, we enjoyed worldwide succour and solicitude. It was a glorious hour for humanity. The milk of human kindness was not only abundantly bestowed on us but also spontaneously showered on us.

The time has come for a repetition of such resplendent humanity, this time for the quake victims of South Asia. This is in fact a rare opportunity for a worldwide manifestation of selfless humanity. May the world be equal to this challenge.

This is South Asia's second environmental disaster in ten months. The unleashing of nature's furies in so devastating a fashion carries a message which must be heeded by humankind before it is too late. That is, please stop pillaging nature. For, it is obvious that the uncurbed exploitation of nature by all, backfires disastrously on humankind.

The message should be read accurately by the whole of mankind, particularly by the world's rich who are better positioned to prey on the earth's precious resources.

Asia may have suffered more severely than other sections of mankind so far but the furies of nature spare no one. Not even those who think that they have the means in abundance to stave off tragedy. More so why mankind needs to collectively end his shameless rape of nature.