The Militant (logo)  

Vol. 74/No. 44      November 22, 2010

 
Indonesia disaster is man-made
(editorial)
 
The death, injury, and devastation inflicted on working people in Indonesia from the tsunami and volcanic eruption—like the re-emergence of cholera in Haiti—are man-made disasters reproduced by the capitalist system, which puts the profits of a few before the lives of toiling humanity. As the crisis of the exploiters’ economic system deepens worldwide, such unnecessary calamities will be forced upon working people with greater frequency and magnitude.

Even after the 2004 tsunami in the south Pacific that needlessly killed more than 225,000, devices that can provide early warning were not installed on the more remote and less developed islands of Indonesia. Imperialist domination and plunder of the country have left the great mass of working people with few roads, airports, or boats to deliver emergency relief. Malnutrition, lack of medical care, and poorly constructed housing has compounded the problem.

Desperately needed food, water, and medicines are sitting in storage instead of being delivered to the most ravaged areas. Imperialist governments have pledged only a few million dollars in emergency aid. And such promises are never guaranteed. After the earthquake that devastated Haiti in January of this year, not one penny of the $1.15 billion promised by the U.S. government has been delivered. Now cholera, a disease that was eliminated in Haiti decades ago, has returned and threatens to sweep through the island.

Modern society has the scientific and technical ability to minimize the effect of disease and natural disasters. Cholera can be quickly cured with an inexpensive medicine. Sophisticated instruments exist to track earthquakes and tsunamis. Yet with all the wealth produced by the working class, more than 15 percent of the world’s population lacks clean drinking water; one-third have no access to elementary medicines; and 40 percent live on less than $2 a day. So long as the capitalist profit system goes on, land will remain private property and working people will be forced to live in the worst areas, including in the path of hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, and on coastal floodplains.

The working class can’t prevent floods or earthquakes but we can control what happens before, during, and after they hit. To do that will take a socialist revolution, where workers seize state power and use it to reorganize all of society in the interests of working people—building roads, hospitals, mass transportation, and quality housing; installing communication systems throughout rural areas; and providing health care for all. The example of the Cuban Revolution, and its success in minimizing death from the same hurricanes that devastated Haiti, speaks volumes.

As we fight for that day, working people can raise now the demand that Washington and other imperialist powers provide massive aid to Indonesia and Haiti with no strings attached and cancel their foreign debt.
 
 
Related articles:
Indonesia: Tsunami toll bares social inequalities  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home