Mar 17, 2011
Have some perspective, please
I AM disappointed at the reaction of some Singaporeans to the disaster in Japan.
First, a Singapore Airlines (SIA) passenger is upset that her flight to Tokyo was delayed by about two hours as it made her travel plans 'very uncertain' ('Flights to Tokyo delayed, cancelled'; last Saturday).
Next, an SIA passenger complains that the station manager at Narita International Airport did not take care of affected passengers, and that SIA did not update its flight information display to reflect the status of his cancelled flight ('What happened at Narita, SIA?'; Forum Online, Tuesday).
Elsewhere, a Singaporean talked about his near $260 cab fare for a four-hour commute in Tokyo. The lack of a sense of occasion of these individuals, and the way they looked at the tragedy is sad. Japan experienced a disaster of epic proportions, but the first reaction among some Singaporeans is to gripe about how they were inconvenienced.
Perhaps they could have spared a thought for the SIA station manager who had to show up for work after the massive quake to manage affected flights at two Tokyo airports. He had no option of fleeing home. And for the SIA cabin crew and pilots who are flying into Japan despite the possibility of more quakes during their stay-overs.
Most importantly, hundreds of thousands of Japanese have lost their homes, and many thousands, their loved ones. They are spending cold nights without any power.
Our riches are pointless without a culture of civic concern and propriety.
Anthony Prakasam
No comments:
Post a Comment