Mr Goh Chok Tong and his Sendo Earthquake comment

Below is Mr Goh Chok Tong comment on the recent monster earthquake and subsequent tsunami crashing into the shores of north-eastern Japan.

“How many of you followed the latest tragic events in Japan with the tsunami…and then put into context our floods in Singapore against that kind of disaster. I am not saying we shouldn’t do anything about the flood. But the amount of noise you made with just sporadic flood compared to the Japanese. I saw them on TV. Very stoic looking. You don’t see them crying. This has happened, just get on, that’s the kind of spirit you want to have and you call it nation building.”

While Mr Goh correct to point out that this is a very tragic event that happened in Japan and should all pray and hope that the victims can recover and Japan as nation will overcome this tragedy in time to come. However, I cannot agree that he compare an earthquake of such magnitude (measuring about 8.9 on the Richter scale and rank the 4th largest recorded earthquake of all times) which is the result of an act of God or an uncontrollable natural disaster (whichever way you may be inclined to think) with floods which engulf our major residential an commercial prime district which are more likely due to human incompetence in drainage planning and execution. The very different in the nature of the two events will warrant very different reactions from the populace. While one cannot rant and pinpoint blame against an event of the nature like the Sendo earthquake but the blame for the floods that submerge part of Orchard and Bukit Timah district lie squarely on the shoulder on Dr Yaacob Ibrahim and his ministry for environment and to a certain extent on the incumbent government.

The fact that Mr Goh did not suggest that we do not do anything about the floods is telling because it does implies that there are pre-emptive actions that we can do to prevent the floods but we did not do. Against an event of the scale of the Sendo earthquake and subsequently triggered tsunami, there is actually nothing wthin the means of mankind to prevent it from happening.