| Kevin Rudd - Stop Sri Lanka, not its refugees |
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 By Michael Mullins October 19, 2009In 2007, then opposition leader Kevin Rudd outfoxed prime minister John Howard in a game of political one-upmanship that was dubbed 'me-tooism'. Copying popular government policies was arguably the decisive factor that took Labor to victory in the federal election. Once the election was over, Rudd moved on and proceeded to implement policies based on principle. We had the ratification of Kyoto, the apology to Indigenous Australians, and more. But now his government has been caught by surprise with the rapid upsurge in the number of refugee boat arrivals, and political instinct is once again determining how it acts.
In intercepting refugee boats on the high seas to prevent them reaching Australia, the Rudd Government is pursuing the unprincipled strategy for which it criticised the Howard Government. Further, it has co-opted Indonesia. The people on the boats have a right to have their claims examined, and it should be a source of pride for us to honour them by listening to their stories. On Thursday, Crikey's Guy Rundle wrote on 'the basic right to fight and kick and scream to find refuge'. He was encouraging public pressure, particularly from 'church groups who should be out loud and early on the matter'. After all, as Rundle said, 'you have to be a most un-Christlike Christian ... to believe that one can disregard the "when I was homeless you took me in" provision, whenever the visitors have brown skin'. There are a number of positive measures the Government can take to assist these people in their fight for basic human rights. One is to make a strident attempt to seek answers from the Sri Lankan Government on why so many Tamils are fleeing the country, especially if the the war is over and peace has returned. It does appear that the Sri Lankan Government has fresh blood on its hands, and doesn't want the world to know about it. Last month, the Sri Lankan Government expelled UNICEF spokesperson James Elder (pictured), who was outspoken on the plight of civilians displaced during Sri Lanka's civil war. After receiving death threats, he left the country earlier than his 21 September deadline. Elder is an Australian but, as far as we know, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith has only responded passively in a speech to Federal Parliament. To our knowledge, he has not even sought an explanation from his Sri Lankan counterpart Rohitha Bogollagama. For his part, Kevin Rudd has said that Australia is merely 'monitoring human rights' in Sri Lanka. There is no talk of active questioning that could lead to an official fact finding mission that might subsequently prompt economic sanctions. It is notable that this passive response to the Sri Lankan Government's apparent human rights violations is in stark contrast with the active interception of refugee boats. It is to be hoped that church and other groups who care about human rights do not follow the lead of their government and simply stand by where firm action is required.
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