The revelation that PM John Howard knew asylum seekers were innocent of the charge of throwing their children overboard, even as he continued to tell voters that it was true, is hardly a shock to most of us. To paraphrase Douglas Adams, politicians are not above a little deceit and corruption in the way that the sea is not above the sky.
The issue of "border protection" — a euphemism for keeping asylum seekers out of Australia — was central to the Coalition's victory in the 2001 federal election. Lies were a central part of that strategy, which demonised a small number of desperate asylum seekers, outrageously portraying them as being as threatening as an invading army.
They were condemned as queue jumpers, potential terrorists and bogus refugees and condemned for having enough money to pay people smugglers. After this barrage of vilification, the children overboard lie fell on receptive ears in an Australian population largely convinced asylum seekers were barely human.
The shock in this announcement then, is just that Howard has been caught — not by chance, but because we are seeing a surprising, and welcome, trend in Australian politics: public servants and military personnel being prepared to take a stand.
Clearly, for many, it was an agonising decision to come forward. But it shouldn't be: asked to choose between governments elected on lies and the right of the mass of the people — the public they are supposed to serve — to know what is going on, there is only one right choice. We applaud those who have taken it.
From Green Left Weekly, August 25, 2004.
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