Bangkok
(The Nation/ANN) - There is one painful fact at this stage of Thailand's flood
disaster: The waters need to pass through Bangkok as fast as possible to ease
the suffering of people in other flooded areas.
The need to give the capital the best
protection available is understandable, but it is being overwhelmed by other
urgencies. Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani have been virtually knocked out by
ravaging floods. Ayutthaya remains unconscious. Other provinces such as Nakhon
Sawan or Angthong are still inundated and see little hope of quick recovery.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday
invoked the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act to give her greater leverage
when dealing with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. Her flood relief
centre's conflict with the BMA has been in plain sight over the past few days,
a situation compounded by problems or outright fighting among local politicians
or officials. However, this is the worst time to let politics get in the way,
so the situation is simple: Bangkok has to make some sacrifices now, not only
as a payback but also for its own good.
To put it in straight language, if some parts
of Bangkok have to be flooded so the waters can move faster towards the sea,
then so be it. It's the government's and the BMA's job to decide which areas to
protect. Being the centre of government and the economy, Bangkok is the
location of important places. Having said that, now is the time for all
Bangkokians to be prepared to get their feet wet.
Simple calculations tell everyone that if
Bangkok is to be kept dry at all costs, the suffering outside the capital and
the remote provinces will last longer. That will be very bad for everybody,
including the alreadystressed Bangkokians. This is not to mention the
possibility of conflicting interests between those who are suffering and those
who are not erupting in violence.
Bad politics at all levels is the last thing
Thailand needs now. The cooperation between the government and the BMA and
understanding between the government and Bangkokians must begin now, before the
issue of who mismanaged dam waters and who was responsible for a huge amount of
flood waters being trapped outside the city becomes more politicised than it
currently is.
Even if the painful "surgery" means
some parts of the capital will be under water for several weeks, it must be
carried out sooner rather than later.
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