Post-Malcolm Fraser, there has been something grossly immoral about Australian government attitudes towards asylum seekers and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is showing that he, too, is not immune from this trait. For the leader of one of the richest countries in the world to call the President of a developing world country that is struggling to lift millions out of poverty in order to save the political skin of the former is sickening, but this is exactly what Rudd’s weekend plea to Indonesia’s Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono represented. And never mind that a group of desperate men, women and children fleeing a life-threatening situation now have a likelier chance of dying, courtesy of the selfish Rudd.
Rudd’s phone call to President Yudhoyono pleading with him to have the Indonesian navy “swoop” on a boat load of 260 asylum seekers from Sri Lanka — where a ghoulishly triumphant government is making life hell for anyone it suspects of being Tamil — was made simply because his government’s Christmas Island facility would have exceeded its capacity of 1200 if the boat had arrived and Rudd might have to contemplate doing the humane and sensible thing and allow these people to be processed on the vast Australian mainland.
While not quite up there with Tampa and the Pacific Solution for sheer cravenness, Rudd’s conduct does not bode well for those who thought Australian politicians might be overcoming their weird fear about what to do with a handful of refugees.
What is Rudd going to do next time? Ring his buddy, SBY, and ask him again to get the sailors out to deal with these naughty people who, in the complete absence of timely and fair official channels, resort to a market solution in the form of people smugglers to find a better life for themselves and their families? Given the fact that 80% of the world’s merchant trade passes through, or close to Indonesian waters, and the Indonesian navy has barely enough equipment to undertake its domestic duties this would seem a little unfair on Rudd’s part.
Then there is the fact that in seeking to push asylum seekers back to Indonesia, Rudd is increasing dramatically their chances of being sent home to persecution or death. The Age reported on September 12 that 376 Afghan asylum seekers in Indonesia were offered money to return home. No wonder, given that Indonesia has, according to figures released by the UNHCR last month, recorded a 925% increase on the numbers of Afghan asylum seekers alone in the first eight months of this year, compared to the whole of 2008.
Rudd and the rest of the Canberra political elite, particularly those in the heartless Liberal Party such as its migration spokesperson Sharman Stone, might care to examine if they think Australia has a moral obligation to help Sri Lankans displaced by that country’s war. On any analysis a country such as Australia, rich and democratic and with ample capacity to cater for the needs of asylum seekers from Sri Lanka who face a long-term wretched future in refugee camps, has such an obligation.
As you sow so shall ye reap the good book says. Another proverb says you cannot have your cake and eat it too. Notwithstanding the pros and cons of refugees and or illegal immigrants, the current government’s relaxation of the harsh regime administered by the previous government, whilst electorally popular with the chattering classes, has arguably provided a stimulus for people smuggling. The recent upsurge in numbers would support this assertion.
It is the people smugglers, whether their clients be true refugees or economic immigrants, who make money out of this vile trade. One also has to ask why Australia is the destination of choice? The answer is quite simple. Once you get here, the returns are so high to the individuals concerned that they take the necessary risk to get here. True refugees could happily settle in any one of the countries they have travelled through to get here.
By relaxing the controls the government is encouraging more of this activity but it will not face up to the reality that relaxation of these controls is probably a significant cause of the influx. People smuggling by boat is but one channel of illegal immigration, and overstaying visas and shonky training colleges are much greater source of illegal migration into this country. Perhaps if the government cracked down on those alternative channels, it could provide more opportunity for genuine refugees to come to Australia. Unfortunately this would involve a policy decision which would upset the growing number of ethnic diasporas in Australia, especially as once illegal migrants get a foothold in this country it is difficult to get them out.
So the simple solution for Rudd is to look good by relaxation of controls at home for domestic political consumption, and get the Indonesians do the dirty work for you. That way you can play the good guy at home and use the Indonesians as your police.
It would be much better if the government, if it wishes to control illegal immigration to jointly reinstate the firm controls provided by the previous government and strictly enforce the rules in relation to illegal migration through overstaying of visas. Then as a consequence we could increase our intake of genuine refugees, identified through United Nations agencies and not by some self assessment process facilitated by people smugglers.
Today, the Prime Minister has another fire breaking out on his Far Right side, with Phillip Ruddock rising from the dead to appeal to the Philistines in the Australian population in a feeble attempt to conjure up that old Howard magic with the electorate. Pathetic, Phil, simply pathetic. As are most of the cheap shot politicians populating the Coalition at this point in time. You can see the despair in Malcolm Turnbull’s face.