When the H1N1 flu began running wild in Mexico in mid April, those of us who live in this beautiful, sun-blessed, "tropical country," could have been pardoned for thinking that the problem was far away. We had a hard time figuring out what it has to do with us: people of a beautiful country sitting pretty on the Equator, thousands miles away from the land of Mojitos and Tequila.
When it rapidly spread to other countries our attitude didn't change much. But when it eventually showed up in our neighbors, shouldn't we have been put out of our comfort zones? Or did we just convince ourselves that not many people here travel to and from effected countries?
Perhaps the most positive attitude would be to believe our government officials are doing their utmost to prevent the virus from entering the country.
The precautions of placing thermal scanners at airports, distributing health cards to passengers arriving from abroad and so forth have already been put in place.
Yet thermal checks are effective only in netting passengers with high fevers, but with a three to five day incubation period, passengers in the early stages of the onset of H1N1 can enter our country undetected. So who knows?
Health cards are effective in tracing passengers' travel history only if there are enough officials to religiously check up on the passengers that filled them out and monitor their condition.
Do we have enough of these officials to do the nosy and time consuming job of phoning people who are trying to recuperate from jetlag and tourists who are seeking to relax in paradise and not be subjected to tele-interrogations? It's a harmless question, isn't it?
Authorities in China and Hong Kong have, however, reported influenza cases in people who never traveled to the countries with recorded cases of the H1N1 virus or been in contact with people that have, which means, you know, heaven forbid, the new flu virus could already be in the house. Our firmly held belief that being tough on people commuting in and out of the country is enough looks doubtful given China and Hong Kong's experience.
Now that the World Health Organization (WHO) has finally pressed the button announcing the world is officially in the grips of a global pandemic - the first in 41 years - there should be millions of questions popping out here.
So, what does this mean for us? Is this something that we should be scared of because we have been well conditioned to deal with the more lethal virus (H5N1) that we never believe in its existence anyhow? Isn't this God's plan for countries that are unfriendly to us? Is it worth spending out taxes on more prevention?
Or, perhaps this it just a ploy by "enemies," who hate to see how tolerance and harmony are daily realities here? Are we better playing detective, opening a probe to find out who toyed around with the influenza virus in their shinny bio-security labs and bring them before the Court of International Justice for sowing hatred against good people like us, heroes for the Third World who never fail to stand up for injustice against fellow poor countries? Who will be in charge in times of emergency? The health minister? The president?
But alas these two are on the campaign trail and most likely won't be available for such a make-belief threat like this. But if people were laying in hospital isolation wards with oxygen tubes, struggling to breathe, they would be worth a valuable presidential photo op.
But lucky for us, none of the questions are not worth answering. And don't bother even a bit because it's really not our jobs to find out. The ball is in the governments court; they are the ones who have to respond to the wailing call of the WHO. Our question is: can the government officials still be trusted to protect and to serve us in times like these?
Beset with political buzz ahead of the presidential election it is the right time to determine the commitments of presidential candidates: what will they say about this?
It would be intriguing to know because they have all the time to engage in image wars and wars of words and shallowly pick up on petty dramas and ordeals in aid of their campaign.
Let's wait and see who has the most convincing remarks, because a pandemic is not a one-day event. It's indefinite and unpredictable. Trainings and workshops and campaigns similar to those introduced for the prevention of bird flu should be resurrected and imposed here and there. Passing the buck among officials is not on. A true leader needs to step up, take charge of the grueling task and tell people what to do and what is in store if the virus is detected here.
We don't want to go back to the past, when officials sugarcoated their denial and incompetence in the name of national stability. With their days to get people's hearts to win the election numbered, anyone aiming to lead this country should stop the broken record of playing the blame game.
The author is a staff writer at The Jakarta Post.
