From The Guardian

The response of ordinary people following the tsunami is truly amazing. Around the world people have expressed their sympathy with the communities that were devastated in the tragedy. They did not hesitate to dig deep into their pockets, organise fund raising activities and offer other forms of assistance. Volunteers joined with local communities, all giving selflessly in the most appalling and heart rending conditions. The tragedy has brought forth all that is good in people and shows a strong will to make sacrifices and pull together to help each other. This humanitarian response of ordinary people is in sharp contrast to that of the major corporations and the Australian and other western governments.

The Australian government was not slow in using the suffering of others to further its political, economic and military agenda in the region. Its $1 billion offer to Indonesia — half of it loans — came with strings attached including a say in how the money was spent. Australian companies are expected to get the lion's share of contracts under the package, with some work contracted out to lndonesian companies. The ANZ, Leighton, Thiess and Baulderstone Hornibrook, Linfox, Bluescope and others are lined up for the kill, with an estimated $22 billion of infrastructure contracts on offer by Indonesia.

Although the details of the deal between Howard and Indonesian President Susilo Yudoyono remain secret, the arrangement is called a 'partnership' and involves the long-term presence of Australian troops in Indonesia.

Foothold in Indonesia

Howard stated that Australia would not interfere in internal domestic matters in Indonesia; that Australia was 'not in the business of picking sides' when referring to the dispute in Aceh. However, the rush to send Australian troops to Aceh suggests a different agenda.

In his address to the nation earlier this month Howard called the 'partnership aid plan' a 'historic step in Australian-Indonesian relations'. He emphasised that there was a 'requirement' for a 'long-term commitment'.

The Howard Government has done a lot of chest thumping over its $1 billion tsunami aid package, but this amount was only promised after pressure from the international community and the example shown by the world's people. Australia's original offer was less than $30 million.

The US also initially promised a mere $30 million — less than the cost of an F-16 fighter plane. It then increased that to $450 million, the equivalent of the cost of one and a half days of the war in Iraq. Australia is spending $55 million a day on its military budget.

UN sidelined

Despite its medical and other assistance in the rescue and clean-up of tsunami torn areas, Australia is not endearing itself to the majority of its neighbours. The $1 billion package is for Indonesia. Thailand, Sri Lanka and India miss out.

The US and Australia have attempted to push the UN into a secondary role in the crisis and initially tried to take over the central role of coordinating relief themselves. Howard said of the UN's contribution, 'I don't think this is a question of who should be running it, it's a question of what works'.

What works for the US and Australia is a deal with the Indonesian Government that will see Indonesia become a partner in implementing the US-Australia agenda in the region, including the interference and direct intervention in the affairs of nations under their 'failed states' doctrine. The Australian government also has an interest in shaping the internal affairs of Indonesia to ensure that effective central government never takes root to transform the populous neighbour into an economic and strategic rival.

The sidelining of the UN would also have meant that aid agencies could be pressured by governments to carry out their political agendas. Aid organisations are not publicly controlled and accountable and in many cases act as lobbies implementing the objectives of governments.

The workings of some aid organisations were revealed by the Papua New Guinea government last year.

Using its 'failed state' doctrine the Howard Government threatened to withdraw Australian aid to PNG if it did not allow Australian police and officials take over important roles in the administration of the country.

PNG initially told the Howard Government to go ahead and take the aid back: that the majority of the aid money is sent back to agencies in the donor country anyway.

Debt

Most of the aid being given by the rich, developed nations is doled out with an eye to their short-term political gain — they are not interested in the long-term needs of the tsunami-hit countries.

The G7 nations — the world's richest — have agreed to suspend debt repayments of the tsunami-affected nations, but this does not even amount to the old 'debt restructure' approach involving the scrapping of some of the interest payments of debtor countries. There is no mention of scrapping the debt, which would be a truly genuine contribution to their recovery. Most of the debt — around $359 billion — is owed to the G7. Indonesia, the hardest hit by the tsunami, owes $48 billion. The Howard Government has refused to even freeze debt repayments for Indonesia — $1.3 billion — and other nations in the region.

Historically the developed western powers have used aid as a weapon to bully and blackmail the countries receiving it and this policy is continuing.

Reconstruction

Major corporations are set to make massive profits in contracts for reconstruction in those nations where infrastructure — housing and all basic services — have been destroyed. Some of the reconstruction is to take place under the control of the World Bank. Organisers have been quick to promise a 'transparent' process in the handing out of contracts.

No doubt they were moved by the corruption debacle in Iraq, where war profiteering by US corporations. Halliburton, once headed by US vice president Dick Cheney was given more than $10 billion of contracts by the Pentagon.

The auctioning of $1.97 billion of reconstruction projects has begun, with some of the world's biggest construction and financial conglomerates in the bidding. The claims of openness cannot but ring hollow. Despite all the billions of dollars handed to corporations for reconstruction in Afghanistan, most of its cities are still in ruins caused by the war. The destruction wrought by the Indonesian military in East Timor's capital Dili remains, with much of that city still in ruins.

It should be recalled that the Howard Government paid lip service to helping 'our neighbour' East Timor, while the cold, hard cash went into the corporate coffers and he stole the country's oil and gas reserves for the benefit of transnationals such as BHP.

He is now making the same empty gestures toward the tsunami victims — 'On this occasion we have not been moved by the bonds of empire and kinship … these are our neighbours'. But behind the grand statements are the same profit motive and a grab for control of the economic and political destiny of independent nations in our region.