COMMENT On Friday morning, an unprecedented earthquake struck the island nation of Japan, bringing with it a massive tsunami wave reaching as far across the Pacific as South and North America.  

This is a tragedy on an epic scale, which the world is grappling to come to terms with. Even at the time of writing, there are fears that more aftershocks will hit the coastlines of Japan in the coming days or weeks.

NONE This is the fifth most destructive earthquake in recorded history. Relief organisations both within and outside Japan are scrambling to recover from the shock, in preparation for the arduous task of sending support to the people of Japan.  

Millions of Japanese have had their homes destroyed. At the time of writing, approximately one thousand Japanese have been confirmed killed and countless more people have been displaced. Cleaning up the debris and reconstructing the destroyed cities and towns in Japan will take years and gargantuan sums of money.  

By a stroke of good luck the wave from the tsunami did not create any havoc the Americas, although the water levels in the two continents did rise by a few meters as a result. Precautions taken by the two continents must have saved many lives there.

Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown Damage that nuclear plants ( right ) in the region has suffered has also alerted the Japanese government to the possibility of radiation pollution .

At the time of writing, the world is grappling with the prospect of a nuclear leak from the Fukushima nuclear plant. Radiation levels on that mountain are already estimated at a thousand times the normal background level. If the leak is not controlled, the harmful consequences may be unimaginable.

Time to express humanity

Japan sits at the heart of what is commonly referred to as the Ring of Fire, which is composed of the group of islands extending from the Philippines, Taiwan and the Indonesian Archipelago. Luckily for Malaysians, our home lies just outside this ring.

NONE The scourge of earthquakes has afflicted mankind across geographical, national and political boundaries. The international community, involving 45 nations at latest count, has pledged their assistance to the people of Japan in the wake of this gargantuan natural disaster. We Malaysians should offer any assistance we can to the victims of the Japanese earthquake.  

This is a time when all the people of the world should unite in peace and goodwill, to help relieve the sufferings of others, irrespective of our religion, race and political ideology. We should offer to the Japanese people our hand in friendship and our sense of solidarity at a time when millions of Japanese are suffering from the worst crisis of their lives.

Meanwhile, rescue teams from South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore are due to arrive shortly. US President Barack Obama said a US aircraft carrier was already in Japan and another was on the way.  It is encouraging to see the whole world shoulder their common moral responsibilities in the face of such a horrendous natural disaster.

Again, in the days ahead, we will be bombarded by horrific TV images of the disaster in Japan. Although Japan is the third largest economy in the world, there is no way they can handle this catastrophe alone.  This is the time for the whole world to show a common purpose of mind because after all, we are members of the same human race.

 

SIM KWANG YANG was member of parliament for Bandar Kuching, Sarawak from 1982 to 1995. He can be reached at sky8hornbill@gmail.com. All comments are welcomed.