EDITORIAL - Knee-jerk reactions

It appears to be an emerging trend for maritime officials to suspend entire shipping fleets of a company whenever a ship of that company meets an accident, especially one that is fatal and therefore controversial and before the media.

We are not trying to question the authority of these officials or agencies to issue suspension orders. What we would like to point out, however, is the propriety of issuing such sweeping orders, especially in the absence of any initial conclusions.

As we all know, an inquiry is yet to start into the latest sea tragedy, the sinking of the Superferry 9 which resulted in the deaths of at least nine people. Indeed they are just yet completing the composition of the board of marine inquiry that will look into the accident.

To be sure, it is prudent to consider an entire fleet suspect in a maritime accident. But just as surely, it is just as prudent to stay clear of such a consideration in light of the fact that no investigation has started to merit any consideration whatsoever.

Besides, if a probable cause emerges in the inquiry, say a defective rudder, the more prudent thing to do would be to suspend all ships with the same rudder type than just ships of the same company, some of which may be using a different type of rudder.

In other words, while we are not against suspending anyone or anything in the interest of public safety, we frown against knee-jerk reactions that really do not serve any interest other than to make regulating officials and agencies appear as if they are doing their jobs.

For the information of these officials and agencies, the public knows pretty well what their jobs entail. And for every accident that happens, there has to be some negligence that happened that cannot be remedied by a simple “palabas” such as a sweeping suspension.

Sweeping suspensions not only do not address the problem, they in fact cause problems in other areas. For example, the main mode of moving people and goods in this archipelagic country is by sea. To issue unwarranted suspensions undermines the life of the whole nation.

Issuing sanctions is not the way to ensuring public safety, especially after the fact. The truly practical way to ensure safety is to be strict with the rules. If we can do that, we only have acts of God to worry about.