Aiding and abetting

Amidst the relief and in some cases cautious jubilation that the economic turmoil of 2009 was receding and 2010 would herald brighter prospects, the Haiti earthquake struck creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises in history. With no internal emergency capability and a completely devastated infrastructure, thousands dead and many more homeless and without food, water or sanitation, the world’s second poorest country was in dire need.

The emergency response to the catastrophe was swift – not swift enough, some critics charge – but within literally hours, relief flights were being organised and the first advance teams were on the ground. This event and many others before it all visibly demonstrate the vital importance of logistics and air freight in getting aid relief to those who need it. The expertise and resources within the industry are, in a great many cases, far exceeding those of relief organisations and even the UN.

A number of the big integrators for example, have disaster response teams always on stand-by for exactly just this kind of situation. Sadly in the current effort, things have not gone quite so smoothly on the ground, with vital aid being stuck at the airport or not finding its way to those who really need it. But despite the problems, it is a generous effort that the entire air cargo/logistics industry should rightly be proud of. We hear constantly these days about ‘corporate social responsibility’, but it is times like this that the words are transformed into action.

The part I personally have trouble with, however, is the publicity surrounding these otherwise magnanimous, philanthropic acts of compassion. Within hours of the first news emerging about the devastating earthquake my email inbox was beginning to fill with press releases detailing aid efforts being undertaken by various air cargo and logistics companies the world-over.

This is a dilemma for me. Should I print such news, which highlights noble acts of compassion for fellow human beings and carries with it the potential to spur others into action? Or, by doing that, am I simply abetting the marketeers and public relations practitioners in their bid to score PR points?

At the end of the day in my professional capacity as Editor, I almost always make the decision not publish this ‘news’. I am of the belief that if a company wishes to help, it is because they believe it is the right thing to do — out of compassion, humanity, a sense of responsibility and because they can. And as such, they should not expect any public relations benefit from it.

But perhaps I am naive. After all, governments most often do not give without the aim of gaining some form of social, economic or geo-political capital. So why should a private ‘for profit’ company be held up to a different standard?

Opinion is surely divided on this issue, but for now, Payload Asia salutes all those who have donated equipment, human resources, money and services to the distant people of Haiti — and at least for now, you will remain anonymous.

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We wish to apologise to Jens Tubbesing and his team at Airline Network Services for making a mistake in the name of the company in our Dec/Jan 2010 issue. The article titled ‘New GSA ready for Asian carriers’ entry to NA’ appeared in the CargoGSA Supplement. Our sincere apologies. – the ED.

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