The escalating brutality of Somali pirates is appalling. But we don’t know what to make of the new anti-piracy campaign that was launched on the 1st of March by the same groups behind last year’s End Piracy Now! drive. The campaigners have dubbed it “Save Our Seafarers (SOS)” and they’re calling on people power – by the millions – to pressure governments to crack down on the maritime thugs. Have they been mesmerised by the revolt in Libya against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi?
BIMCO, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the International Shipping Federation (ISF), Intercargo, INTERTANKO and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) are at least clear about their objectives. They want governments to “recognise the threat to our seafarers and the world economy” and take the “necessary steps to eradicate piracy at sea and ashore” by:
- reducing the effectiveness of the easily-identifiable pirate motherships.
- authorising naval forces to detain pirates and deliver them for prosecution and punishment.
- fully criminalising all acts of piracy and intent to commit piracy under national laws in accordance with their mandatory duty to co-operate to suppress piracy under international conventions.
- increasing naval assets available in this area.
- providing greater protection and support for seafarers.
- tracing and criminalising the organisers and financiers behind the criminal networks.
All this represents some improvement. The e-petition which lay at the core of the 2010 End Piracy Now! movement smacked of bureaucratese and was wanting in concrete proposals. We’re still skeptical, though. The SOS crusade is still Internet-based with the immediate aim of getting people to send letters to Mr President or Mr Prime Minister. The SOS campaigners, who are now waving the People Power banner and apparently riding on the mass protests in the Middle East, seem to miss two points.
First, people power doesn’t just happen. It entails a long gestation, the anger and frustration silently building up in the hearts and minds of a people until one day it all erupts like Mount Pinatubo. This was the case with the 1986 EDSA popular revolt in the Philippines. It is so with the current uprising against the 41-year Gaddafi rule. For the SOS campaigners to think that paid newspaper ads and a nice-looking website will summon forth people power against Somali piracy is to misuse or misunderstand this great phenomenon of modern history.
Second, piracy may be in the headlines but not in the consciousness of the general public. Ordinary folks – landlubbers, more precisely – will be shocked at the latest depredations by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden or the Indian Ocean. They’ll react the same way at news of scores being killed in a fire or earthquake somewhere on this planet, and then go on with their daily lives. How many, even in Manila, the world’s crewing capital, give a hoot about seafarers? How much connected really is the shipping industry to the rest of humankind?
These are questions the SOS campaigners might do well to ponder. Nothing wrong with trying to compel governments to act on the piracy problem and using the media to put the squeeze. The reality, however, is that the time for ball-dribbling and ball-passing is over. The ball is – or should be – in the court of the UN Security Council and perhaps the Pentagon or the CIA. What’s needed is not people power or some PR whiz kid but a captain for the team. ~Barista Uno
A couple of things.
1. I don’t believe that SOS SaveOurSeafarers is riding on the people power uprisings in Arab countries – the SOS campagn was being planned long before that.
2. There is HUGE anger and frustration already built up in the whole shipping community but esp among seafarers and the wave of support for this campaign across the world shows that people love this opportunity to vent these frustrations that pirates are being let go, and that virtually unchallenged motherships have spread the piracy menace across the whole northern Indian Ocean, leaving no way round for ships trading in/out of the Gulf.
Please encourage support for this campaign – the US embassy has been on already asking us to stop sending letters to Sec of State’s office – 600 already are threatening to clog his e-mail box. Success! Have said will only change e-mail address if they give us another one equally valid.
Please share this reply!
We wouldn’t have blogged about the SOS campaign if we weren’t sympathetic to its goals. We also twitted the End Piracy Now! campaign but we were one of the early signatories to the e-petition. What this post did was question the use of the concept of “People Power” and raise the more fundamental issue of the shipping industry’s connectivity to the majority of humankind.
Thank you for your comment, which is very well taken.
As the ‘PR whiz kid’ behind the campaign, I wholeheartedly agree with everything you have said but … you really do need to put things into context before being too critical. The campaign only launched seven days ago and the response has been quite phenomenal with thousands of letters having already been sent to heads of government and state across the globe. All letters, it should be added, have been copied to the UN. We have taken calls from senators saying their in-boxes have been clogged up with letters (yes!). Dozens of countries who weren’t on our original drop-down list have asked to be added. All great but, as you suggest, support has come mainly from within the shipping sector.
As I said, we are one week into the campaign and I can assure you that there is a plan of concerted activity planned for the foreseeable future and until something decisive is done to make piracy a thing of the past. The campaign ahead of us will reach the hearts and minds of people outside the industry. But please remember … raising awareness of a subject that most people were previously unaware of, let alone engaging them sufficiently to take action, is not something that can be achieved overnight. Early indications are extremely positive. Every journey has start somewhere. As you point out, this campaign is different from previous ones for a number of reasons – we are stating what we want from politicians … we are using various routes and platforms to reach people … I could go on – all you need to know is that LOTS of activity is planned.
What we don’t need are naysayers. It is easy to be critical. Doubters always seem to know better without ever actually doing anything. We have a global campaign that puts all the issues under one recognisable banner – http://www.SaveOurSeafarers.com – and yours is the only (slightly) negative comment so far. Now stop being churlish and go and send your letter!
We’re sorry if the post touched some raw nerves. The criticism wasn’t made for the sake of being critical or negative. We had hoped that the two questions raised in the penultimate paragraph would somehow serve as food for thought for everyone in the industry who’s exasperated, as we are, with the growing piracy menace. To put things in context (to borrow your phrase), we were also critical of the End Piracy Now! campaign but we were amongst the first to sign the e-petition. We will do likewise for the SOS campaign.
Thanks very much indeed for your comment. Your criticism of us is graciously taken.
🙂 Anything that creates debate can only be a good thing! We’re passionate if you hadn’t already guessed! And without wishing to sound post rationally sycophantic, I really like your site. 🙂