In my opinion, contrary to the perverted reasoning that the US is using the tsunami disaster to gain political mileage and goodwill, it is the anti-Americanists themselves who are attempting to exploit the tragedy to continue to sow distrust against the United States and the George W Bush administration.

First, immediately after the disaster was known to the world, one United Nations official had already publicly criticised the United States for being 'stingy' . Some people may have bought this, but if one thought deeper, that criticism could never justified.

For a government in a democratic and transparent country like the US, all decisions made have to be accountable later to the voters and taxpayers. This is especially true for decision-making involving matters of public finance or resources. It is not like a private individual who can use his or her money with any public questions being asked.

For the US president, making a decision to donate a huge sum of public money requires that the true nature and extent of the damage be first assessed. Moreover, the tsunami disaster happened while Bush and most people in the world were having their long year-end break.

Given this background, context and circumstance, the US decision to donate funds and supplies and to mobilise its armed forces in the Pacific Command to conduct relief operations was indeed amazingly fast and effective.

Also, while that United Nations official were making his 'stingy' comment, about 15,000 US Navy and Marine personnel were being mobilised and transported to the affected disaster areas by an aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln.

Organising and mobilising 15,000 troops together with relief materials and transporting them in a matter of a few days is not an easy job unlike sitting in an air-conditioned office at the United Nations' headquarters. We must have a sense of reality and proportion before we rush into judgement.

Those who compare the absolute amounts of donation also often forget that mobilising, organising and transporting 15,000 troops from one end of the Pacific Ocean to the other and putting them down on an alien ground to conduct relief operation also needs money and resources.

Troops (like all human beings) have to be paid and fed, military vehicles need fuel to operate and all relief materials have their cost. This huge sum of non-cash donation has probably not been quantified and added to the US cash contribution announced by Bush.

What is intriguing is that that particular United Nations official never aimed his 'stingy' criticism at Saudi Arabia and the other oil-rich and extremely wealthy Arab governments. Why the hypocrisy? Why the double standards?

It is clear that the seemingly peace-loving anti-Americanists are subtly and craftily exploiting the tsunami disaster for their anti-American propaganda although their arguments are contradictory and inconsistent.

The silent majority of clear and fair-minded people are willing to give credit where credit is due to the US and the Bush administration.

Let us continue to do what is right and treat all those petty-minded and contradictory anti-America criticisms with contempt. There is plenty of work to be done in Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka.