|
Perspective
Teach
us
Life-saving
Techniques
Ekram
Kabir
So, the
top opposition politicians and intellectuals have at last
been provided with armed security? In a situation of deteriorating
law and order, it was exactly what the government needed to
do. Actually, it should have been done a long time ago. These
are really not good times for Bangladeshis, especially for
the politicians. We had to mourn the deaths of quite a few
of them in a short period of time. The spectre of bomb attacks
has not only made the politicians vulnerable to extreme insecurity,
it has also led the people at large to suffer a deep sense
of insecurity.
Let's
assume that politicians will now more feel secure, for armed
guards will accompany them. But what would happen to normal
citizens without whose participation gatherings and rallies
of politicians would never succeed? The gunmen will protect
the leaders and eminent persons of the country, but what will
happen to those people who look up to those leaders for their
well-being? The commoners would still be risking their lives
to unknown assailants who will explode bombs, say, at rallies,
at jatra stages, at fairs, on the streets, at cinema halls
and, who knows, even at educational institutions. Maybe from
now on, helicopters will remain ready to take the leaders
to hospitals when they are injured in any incident. But what
will happen to the commoners? What would happen when "they"
are dead or injured? Their families would not have the means
nor the courage to organise protests rallies or press briefings
like the family of late Shah AMS Kibiria. A token monetary
compensation from the government is the only bit of retribution
they can expect to get.
We the
common people don't have the slightest idea of what to do
in times of crises such as bomb attacks, mugging, robbery
etc. We don't know how to defend ourselves in times of emergencies.
Not just bomb threats and attacks, the same can be said about
crises such as floods, earthquakes, fire, and even diseases
like dengue or any other disease. Apart from some television
footages on 'flood' and 'dengue', there are absolutely no
civil defence mechanisms in place to make the people aware
of emergency-time "dos and don'ts". For example,
no one really knows what to do during an earthquake, or a
tornado, or even when a mugger assails. One can only use common-sense
during an emergency to avoid danger. The only exception here
may be 'arsenic contamination' due to UN's involvement in
the issue.
One can
surely ask why bother with civil defence? What would you accomplish
by introducing civil defence mechanisms? Asking these questions
would sound similar to the question 'Why bother with fastening
a seat belt in a car?' Well, because a seat belt is believed
to lessen the chance of serious injury in a crash. Similarly,
civil defence, in its simplest term, is preparing in advance
the protection we will need when disaster or danger strikes.
In emergencies, civil defence has goals such as: a. to prevent
loss of life; b. to help the injured; and c. to relieve personal
suffering and distress. In most circumstances the emergency
services like police, fire service, ambulance etc., deal with
emergencies. Where they are unable to cope, because of the
scale of the event or where the extraordinary powers are required,
then civil defence measures are used.
In most
of the countries, civil defence means "to provide protection
to the people and national assets from peace time disasters
and war eventualities". In those countries, there are
civil defence administrations that deal with civil defence
matters. Their main objectives are to minimise the number
of casualties, reduce damage to essential services, to ensure
uninterrupted production in industries, to provide active
civilian support to war efforts and to maintain the morale
of the people in case of any emergency.
Likewise,
we in Bangladesh do have a thing called 'disaster management'.
Here, no disaster is managed before it takes a hellish toll
on humans and their properties. Well, we need to understand
that disasters may take many forms, and may occur as a result
of one or more of a wide range of events, both natural and
those induced by man. Acid violence is certainly an emergency
to a victim. Or ask a father who couldn't take his child to
the hospital during a hartal. Or ask a girl who has been subjected
to eve-teasing. 'Disaster' means not only the commonly perceived
effects of sudden natural events; earthquakes, tropical storms,
floods, volcanic eruptions, and so on, but also the effects
of drought, crop failure as a result of blight or infestation,
and other events which are slow to develop. Disaster also
means accidental damaging or destructive effects of our normal
activities.
Here,
in our lives, these include, but are not limited to, atmospheric
contamination, transport accidents, acid violence, diseases,
hartal violence, mugging, robberies etc. Actually, the civil
defence that we need in Bangladesh is common sense. If people's
commonsense can be kindled by knowledge, it would be possible
to save many "common" lives. Imagine that about
5,000 Bangladeshis die every year in road accidents. These
were essentially due to reckless driving. If passengers knew
what to do or how to stop the irresponsible driver from reckless
driving, at least some lives could have been spared. All they
need is a basic knowledge on how to act when they are in danger
or distress.
So, what
would civil defence do? It will, we expect, simply make people
aware about what they should, and can, do when their security
is in jeopardy. An informed person can prepare him/herself
on how to avoid danger or threats much better than an uninformed
person. A well-informed population can also reduce the responsibility
and tension of the government itself.
A process
needs to start immediately. It doesn't have to involve the
law enforcers; the non-government organisations can easily
take this up on their agenda to educate the population on
civil defence techniques. But before that, the government
needs to spend money and reform the country's Fire Service
and Civil Defence department, making it "really useful"
for the people. This department should be capable enough to
educate us on these matters. The government must not see this
it as a waste of money. It would be money well spent if the
government can show people how they can safeguard themselves
and their families.
Ekram
Kabir is a journalist and a researcher.
Copyright (R)
thedailystar.net 2004
|
