9-07-06, 9:00 am
The Chief of ASIO, Paul O'Sullivan, declared last week that the 'threat has not diminished' and that 'Al Qaida is stronger today than before 9/11'. And who, by their policies, has made it stronger? None other than the US, Australian, British and other European Governments who by invading Afghanistan and Iraq inevitably created resistance and opposition. Is this not exactly what the Israeli Government has succeeded in doing by invading Lebanon and causing enormous damage and loss of life? As a direct consequence, Hizbullah, which emerged as the main force of resistance to the Israeli invasion, has been immeasurably strengthened.
The Australian media, in particular the News Ltd press, pour forth an endless stream of muck-raking. The Daily Telegraph last week for example weighed in with a screaming page one headline 'Sydney Will Be Attacked' (not may be but will be attacked). It quoted a number of people it claimed to have interviewed to bolster its case and to declare that people want the government to do even more to provide 'stricter security'.
The Telegraph's News Ltd partner in stoking the fires of fear, The Australian, takes the opposite line, though with the same intent of demonizing people for their ethnic background and religious beliefs. The likes of its foreign affairs editor, Greg Sheridan, constantly claim Australians are too apathetic about terrorism.
Prime Minister John Howard added to the resentment by his blind prejudice against sections of the Islamic society which he declares are against learning to speak the English language or adopt 'Australian values'. To single out members of the Muslim society is plain racist and religious bias and bigotry. Australia is a multicultural society, a richly diverse nation made up of many peoples from almost every corner of the world. The nature of that diversity demands tolerance and understanding of differences.
The various ethnic communities contribute in a multitude of unique ways to society. Our commonality is that we have worked, sacrificed, raised families and have all contributed to the social and economic well being of Australia. Under the guise of a war on terrorism the Howard Government is determined to tear that commonality to shreds.
But the 'war on terrorism' has much more far-reaching objectives. It is being used to steadily whittle away the democratic rights of the whole of society and although the anti-democratic legislation is being used at the moment mainly against Muslim members of society, it can and will be used just as viciously against others: the laws are anti-people.
Furthermore, the legislation is only part of the widespread assault against everything progressive the opposition to stem cell research, the attack on the teaching of progressive-based history, the promotion of religion in schools, the selling off of Telstra and Medibank Private, the assault on welfare, the racist discrimination against the Indigenous people, the treatment of refugees, and the IR legislation which is a deliberate attack on the trade union movement and every worker in Australia are other aspects of the sweeping ultra right-wing agenda of the Howard Government.
Underlying all these measures is a system in crisis economic, political, moral and cultural. In an effort to save itself the ruling class is prepared to use any and every means to force people to accept its domination of society. The corporations and those who at present wield economic and hence political power know that the ground is slipping from beneath their feet, but there is no example in the whole of history of a discredited ruling class willingly making way for an alternative economic system and new political structures. They will cling to the outmoded economic system that has provided them with privilege and power until their fingers are pried from it.
From The Guardian
