Early this morning on the eighth of December a terrible fire broke out at the AMRI hospital in Kolkata. As the senior staff fled, 89 persons lost their lives and many more were seriously injured, all of them patients. No later had the media broadcast the news that political damage control and finger pointing began.
As of now;
- Two owners and four managers have been arrested, and they will be released shortly on bail.
- The hospital cannot function practically and legally because the government has cancelled its licensee.
- A compensation of Rs 50,000 has been awarded to survivors of the deceased. The hospital's junior staff and the ill equipped brave firemen who risked their lives doing a very tough job are being blamed for a bad job and responding too slowly.
- TV anchors shed crocodile tears as will be their hosts on the talk shows.
Tomorrow;
- The factories inspector will make a report showing that he did his job as will the concerned fire inspector.
- The concerned municipal officers in charge will move some files and reports here and there trying to pass the buck, and some junior person will be suspended.
- The newspapers will blare this tragedy on their headlines.
- The politicians will start a one up-manship game.
The day after;
- Wheels of corruption will turn.
- The owners and managers will look to influence by monetary or political pressure, the police, the concerned legal persons from the government, the victims families.
- Various vultures political and others will descend on the situation sensing a good killing to be made.
- Money will change hands and the situation will quieten down.
- The TV stations will suffer amnesia.
- The newspaper will relegate the incident to history after taking it sequentially through pages, 5, 9 and finally page 16.
Six months later;
- The hospital will be restarted under a new name and management with old owners having new politically powerful partners.
- The owners will start a new hospital flouting the rules.
- The suspended officials will be reinstated and the case will join the million other cases pending in our judiciary.
This is not how a modern civilized society functions, this is how a sad joke is played on citizens by their chosen political leaders, civil servants, police and merchants of death.
Each one of us has every right to feel indignant, angry and sad. Since we are normally mute spectators or participants in small ways we have no one to blame but ourselves. We play our own little games of trying to get ahead by manipulating or ignoring the system by;
- Just being indifferent.
- Refusing to exercise our voting franchise or voting for bad /corrupt people.
- Bribing bureaucrats and government officials rather than follow the correct way.
- Teaching our children all the wrong things or by setting poor examples of behaviour.
- Give up hope of exerting our right and cower in front of two bit tyrannic public servants.
- Do not contribute to our communities and humanity in general, remembering all our rights but forgetting most of our responsibilities.
If we want to make a difference then we should remember that;
A different world cannot be built by indifferent people;
and
As we sow, so shall we reap.
