That was how Chinese Communist Party spokesmen began “briefings” indicating serious illness had befallen “Dear Leader” and prepared the people for either a coming demise or imminent exile. In either case, the “cold” was the beginning of the end in a country that filtered and placed a tight lid on news escaping, even if already widely known. The patina of control was most important and often reduced such pronouncements to drama or farce. That’s why the sudden reversal, wide open media coverage, television cameras broadcasting from the scene and acceptance of private and military aid during the recent deadly earthquakes and aftershocks in Sichuan Province have been so revealing.

A magnitude 7.9 earthquake, killing 50,000 people, leaving 5 million homeless and reducing most of the buildings to rubble is big news anywhere. Even bigger is the appearance of a national soul. The Communist Party followed the quake with a virtual tsunami of news from the quake zone and shown an unprecedented massive private and government response to this tragedy. The outpouring of world sympathy and money, China’s own quickly reaching deep into their pockets and 120,000 government troops immediately on the ground as well as letting relief workers and private citizens rush to the area with food, water, heavy equipment, medical supplies and tents showed how a quick mobilisation can save lives whether buried in rubble or starving in darkness on the ground.

Unlike US President George Bush during Hurricane Katrina, 66-year old Premiere Wen Jiabao flew to the region within two hours of the quake (even while there were dangerous aftershocks) and was shown on television, without choreographed photo-op moments, on the scene for days leading the relief charge to help find and save people trapped under the rubble. Filmed near the same emotional and physical exhaustion as his people, he worked side-by-side with everyone else, desperately trying to help.

That could become an important high water mark as China tries to show the world they have indeed changed and the government cares about it people. Chinese bloggers were near unanimous in their support of Wen and pride for their country. Television images were no longer manufactured press releases, rather showed the human scale of the tragedy as even Wen teared up as the enormity of the situation hit him from ground level.

Of course the US government offered a primer during the aftermath of Katrina of how NOT to help its people and Wen being a shrewd politician  could have had other motives. When US government aid group FEMA was unable to deliver water to New Orleans for 5-days, Wen and the rest of the world saw how that damaged the ruling US Republican Party and its “chairman” George Bush. Even the fictitious The West Wing television drama had President Jed Bartlett personally on-scene for two days when a disaster hit during his watch. The people want to see that their leaders care. That can blunt a lot of policy disasters much more so than “giving up golf” out of “respect” for our troops.

$1.5 billion dollars worth of aid mobilised and rushed in during the 1st week after the disaster and lives were and will continue to be saved and rebuilt. Compare and contrast that with the military junta running Burma who is wilfully letting nearly 2 million people starve out of fear a rush of relief workers will somehow destabilise their rule. There are shiploads of supplies off shore waiting for permission to come ashore as aids workers are continually denied visas to enter the country and military aircraft delivering life-saving supplies are waved off. Government mismanagement in the region is not new. 3+ years after the tsunami hit Thailand and Indonesia on Boxing Day 2005, funds that rushed in to re-build housing sit unspent because the governments cannot get out of the way and help.

Give to the China earthquake appeal and you somehow feel confident that money aid goes swiftly to the people most in need. Give to help Burma and you don’t know when or if it will help.

Maybe the junta leaders in Myanmar need to catch a cold.