Tag: Australia

Malaysia On Hold – High Court asked to review


What Chris Bowen and Julia Gillard refused to consider, will now be looked at by the High Court of Australia. The Malaysian Solution for the asylum seeker issue was never a satisfactory one, principally because Malaysia treats refugees and asylum seekers badly and Malaysia has a poor human rights record generally. Maybe in selecting a partnership with Malaysia, Australia is betraying its true colours in matters of human rights and it has always only paid lip service on such matters.

Following is an extract from The Australian today:

Mr Manne made it clear that Malaysia’s human rights record, and particularly its treatment of refugees, would be put on trial.

“Amongst the claims that are being made among many of those that we are acting for are that they in fact would face the real risk of being persecuted in Malaysia due to the human rights situation there,” he said.

“Malaysia has a long standing record of very serious mistreatment of asylum-seekers and refugees including, as we know, arbitrary arrest, arbitrary detention, beatings, whippings, canings and even deportation. A number of our clients have made very strong claims of fearing that they would not be protected in Malaysia.”

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Lorikeets or Rosellas? My God made them all.


Were they lorikeets or Rosella? It was probably just after 5 last night when I was putting away the tools and lawnmower and tidying stuff into the green bin, when first one bird and then a flock of maybe 3-4, flew past, probably lower than they usually do. They looked extremely beautiful and their presence is always a comfort that the flora and fauna in the neighbourhood is in good nick.

How does one tell the difference between the two types? Both are about the same size and very colourful. They make a lot of noise – is this a differentiating trait? I must remember to look it up some time.

It was such a fantastic end to a gloriously sunny afternoon. After weeks of wet and gloom that have come to characterise this winter, yesterday was a huge invitation to be outdoor and Tress and I accepted it with open arms, and spent the entire arvo in the garden. When it was all done, I had a quick shower and after a glass of chilled white (still an SB) I was so relaxed I begin to doze off. Just at that moment, I was really grateful. Life felt good at that moment. It was like a glimpse of heaven crisply felt. Life can get really good by the simplest of pleasures. God‘s creation is fantastic.

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Do You Hear The People Sing, Singing the Song of Angry Men


Calm, serene and beautiful

When I look at this and consider my hometown turmoil, I am grateful but also angry. Malaysia is in so many ways, as beautiful as Australia. It is however, bogged down with such corruption, bigotry, and general bloodymindedness that I can imagine how much has been lost because of greed and selfishness.

BERSIH 2.0 is all the rage in Malaysia now and well it should be. If I were still there, I would not have required much thought – it is a no brainer, the causes BERSIH is fighting for. In a sane world, no one one would have thought it strange or in any way negative, to support it. Alas, the politicians in power in Malaysia are different. They live in a world and era well past. The rest of the world has long past this brand of bigotry. It looks like the odes of Les Miserables are waiting to be recited with gusto again come 9 July. This is the Malayia Boleh I have been waiting for.

From Les Miserables:

Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!

Will you join in our crusade?
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Beyond the barricade
Is there a world you long to see?

Then join in the fight
That will give you the right to be free!


Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!

Will you give all you can give
So that our banner may advance
Some will fall and some will live
Will you stand up and take your chance?
The blood of the martyrs
Will water the meadows of Klang (France)!

Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes.

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Four Corners and the very meaty issue


“Trading of AACo shares suspended” – for a moment I wondered if Arthur Anderson was listed in the ASX but remembered AA as in Arthur Anderson is long gone, courtesy of Enron. AACo refers of course to the Australian Agricultural Company who is being slaughtered on account of ABC’s Four Corner’s story of what happened to Aussie cows in Indonesian abattoirs.

The ban on live exports meant AACo, along with thousands of workers and business owners, are all stranded and will have their income suspended along with the export. There will of course be mitigating steps taken to divert the supply locally and that may mean we get cheaper beef but this will likely not make up the loss by very much.

As disturbing as those images on Four Corners were, I am surprised not more people knew this was actually going on. Isn’t it modern day industry best practice to know your customer and their practices? Don’t the Australian regulators know these abattoirs’ working conditions before the airing of the program? If measures have already been taken to implement kinder processes, then really there is no need for a ban.

It will however, make me wince the next time I see a steak. I must admit I didn’t when I watched parts of the Masterchef program last night, when a huge chunk of meat was served up as part of a spread. I’ve not been a huge fan of beef so this hasn’t affected me a lot but I always find it hard to find “X” – the spot where the balance hangs between humane and inhumane slaughtering of animals. It is no doubt an age old issue – one best left alone for now.

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5 Deg (feels like 2 deg)


Beginning of St Kilda Road, Melbourne, on Prin...
Image via Wikipedia

That’s what my weather app is saying about Forest Hill now. No wonder I’m freezing my watuzi off. Why is it so cold? Or have I just become old?

I was just at Kiddo’s school for an info/briefing session for her trip to the old world. It’s now just over 2 weeks before they leave and everyone is excited now. I had to trek into the city and in this weather, it wasnt fun. The traffic was bad, it was cold and, I’m not the one going to Europe in 2 weeks.A 6pm meeting meant I had to cut across the city circa 5.30pm – the worst possible time to be in the St Kilda Road area. Thankfully a cold night meant there was plenty of parking available so that took some of the pain away. I was a little late and when I approached the theaterette where the talk was being held, the crowd was already there and it had started.

Kiddo reserved a seat just next to her and I sat down and tried to get into the mood of things. Thankfully I managed that.

Apparently it will be hot in Italy this northern summer. What a treat it’d be for kiddo, if even to just get away from this cold and wet winter in Melbourne. It would be a trip she will enjoy and remember very fondly I’m sure. I’m really happy for her. If nothing else, she’d get away from this cold for a few weeks. Why is it so cold? Or am I just old?

 

Listen to Cate Blanchett on Carbon Tax? You’re Dreaming.


I first discovered what a great actress Cate Blanchett is, in The Fellowship of the Rings. Frodo and Co had just escaped Moria by the skin of their teeth and wondered into Lothlorien when they were confronted by Elves who took them to Galadriel, played of course by the beautiful and talented Cate Blanchett. As Lady of the Wood who could look into minds, she was very powerful – one of the bearers of the Rings which was to determine the fate of Middle Earth. It wasn’t The Ring of course, but she was a player – she had one of the rings (3, I think).

As Lady of the Woods, she’d be friends with the Greens, dont you think? At last, she is now – she now fronts the ads which sings praises for the carbon tax, together with Michael Caton, he of The Castle fame. I dont know what Cate and Michael are thinking, to be honest. All the clean energy and decarbonised economy of Australia would make next to no impact to global warming. The economy will be severely damaged for nothing as notwithstanding Australia‘s pre-eminent status as the per capita biggest emitter in the world, cleaning up Australia would do diddly squat to global warming.

Do Cate Blanchett and Michael Caton really think Australia makes a difference? Michael should know better – to think that, one has to say to him, “You’re Dreaming”. But of course it wouldnt matter to them. The extra costs will mean little to them. I suppose they really are actors and Australians would be fools to think they make sense when it comes to global warming. I’d go on watching their movies because they’re good at that. They arent however, social scientist or economists so they’re probably two of the last people I’d give any time of day for carbon tax matters.

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Gillard and Bowen dealing with Ogres and Thieves from Malaysia


The deal being negotiated between Australia and Malaysia to process asylum seekers, is of considerable current interest. Last night we caught parts of the SBS Dateline program, with a story titled “Welcome to Malaysia”.

It really brought back very interesting memories.

For a start, we are reminded of how bloody minded ordinary Malaysians entrusted with a little bit of authority, can turn out to be. RELA officers decked out in military styled uniform are given free rein to terrorise ordinary man on the street. They’d pound on the door of citizens in the middle of the night, demanding to see your passport. They’d make you squat on walkways before hauling truckloads back to their headquarters for a long night of abuse.

In my past life, I have sat in the office of a police chief and hear him say to his subordinates “let them die”, referring to suspects being rounded up for anything you can imagine. Anyone who is an easy target – drug addicts, petty criminals and illegal immigrants – are easy game to these officers, be they police of militia personnel like RELA thugs. They’d detain, extort, abuse and exert their puny warden mentality to its full extent.

The drug addicts, petty criminals and illegal immigrants are not human beings in the eyes of these twerps. To these cowards and bullies, the drug addicts, petty criminals and illegal immigrants are vermin with money to steal from. If they are female, sexual crimes commonly follow. I have seen RELA personnel rounding these people up like they are herds of cattle.

Theresa recoiled when scenes of food being served came up. The illegal immigrants, squatting in the barb wired compounds, are served dirty rice and slivers of meats caked with grime, on trays which have never been washed. A detainee held up a tray to the camera and scraped off filthy grime and said the food was foul and stank.

The man tasked with looking after the illegal immigrant issue knew absolutely nothing. He looked and sounded exactly like your typical UMNO idiot who managed to become a deputy minister because those who appointed him are equally stupid. People like them abuse the ordinary people, steal from them, caused the most horrendous hardship on so many without batting an eyelid and then go to the mosque to pray and complain about opposition politicians committing sexual indiscretions.

The story on SBS Dateline certainly brought back memories, and reminded me why we left Malaysia. What that program showed was only a tip of the iceberg and it affected not just the less fortunate people. The mentality, attitude and value system of the powers that be cause unfortunate effect which was different to what the program showed, only in its degree and intensity. Why on earth is Julia Gillard and Chris Bowen even talking to this mob?

View the program here: http://www.sbs.com.au/dateline/story/about/id/601146/n/Welcome-to-Malaysia

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If Will Steffen is right, will $100 a tonne cut it?


Will Steffen heads up the Climate Commission. He – the Commission – has issued a report demanding urgent action to deal with the human caused climate change. Or else – sea level would rise and we’d all have to live like Kevin Costner in water world.

Julia Gillard has pointed to the report and sort of said – I told you so. But if that were the case, and given the urgency to bring emission down straight away or else, the carbon price she touted – $20 a tonne – would be like introducing Norhafiz Zamani into the Birmingham City attack to solve the Blues’ woes in front of goal. It would be toothless, a complete waste of time and may well be counter-productive. [I confess I have just only googled the current Malaysian football team striker. I also confess this is the first time in God knows how long I took an interest in NEP infected football in Malaysia]

To be responding to Will Steffen’s Climate Commission doomsday report, the carbon tax should be so prohibitive – say $100 a tonne just like the Greens said – to be of any effect unless of course, Julia is lying again.

If Julia Gillard could not be trusted and lied in saying there would be no carbon tax under a government she leads, why would we trust her to keep carbon tax to $20 a tonne, especially if she endorses the Will Steffen Climate Commission – we must act now or perish – report? The Greens are looking at a minimum of $100 per tonne and they will want to include petrol in their target. If Will Steffen and his Climate Commission report is to be taken seriously that is the bare minimum step. But that would send most of us back to the caves, wouldn’t it?

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Merry Christmas Malaysia from Australia


Malaysia has been in Australian news recently. Australia under the Labor Government has been clutching at straws to formulate a credible policy in addressing asylum seekers who arrive on boats operated by people smugglers.

 Under the previous Liberal Government, John Howard’s Pacific Solution entailed escorting boats to Nauru, where they are processed for refugee status. This was a very clear signal to people smugglers that they could never deliver effective services to their clients as they would not land in Australia. The result was that the number of boats arriving plunged. When Labor abolished this and allowed illegal arrivals to land and be processed on shore, where different rules prevail, the number of boats shot up.

 For reasons which can only be political, Nauru and the Pacific Solution ala John Howard was cut adrift and Labor has been bobbing around for a safe harbour to berth a policy. Thanks to about $300million (1 billion Malaysian Ringgit) Malaysia has agreed to be Julia Gillard’s Nauru.

 The problem of course, was that not only would Australia fork out a lot of moolah (not that Malaysia is an un-greedy refugee processing centre of sorts who would be willing to accept less) but Australia also needed, under the deal with Malaysia, to take 5 refugees currently housed in Malaysia for every one asylum seeker Malaysia agrees to accept to be process for refugee status.

 We have agreed to take in 4,000 refugees for the 800 asylum seekers Malaysia agrees to process, and which we may take back anyway. This works out to be about $54,000 per person – Malaysia gets $165,00 (RM) for every refugee it has probably abused for years. What a deal huh? For Malaysia I mean.

 Congratulations Najib – you have struck yourself a winner, and all because (1) Australia is a generous benefactor with loads of compassion and (2) it is governed by a egotistical idiotic and profligate Labor Government. You are a very lucky beneficiary of this stupidity.  For Malaysia, Najib teruk but nasib baik.

 So it is really a win-win scenario for Malaysia. Malaysia has well over 90,000 refugees, who are subject to constant extortion and abuse by immigration and custom officers. After exacting callous release of their gratification from these victims, Malaysians stand to benefit by appearing to do Australia a favour, at a cool pay day worth RM1billion.

 So as Muslim countries beat each other up and cause their people to flee, yet more Muslim countries abuse them en route to some ex-Christian countries with lingering Christian values who for one reason or another, agree to provide salvation for these souls. If and when some of them eventually settle down they might then gripe about Christian values and say they should be given the freedom to rile and rant against western Christian civilisation.

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Poll re Carbon Tax


I was having a breather from some work and saw a news article saying most Aussies dont like the carbon tax. Ho hum? Maybe, but the latest Newspoll survey on whether Australians are in favour of the carbon tax conducted by The Australian has this result:

Against: 60%

In favour: 30%

Uncommitted: 10%

Of those who were against the tax, 39% were strongly against.

Of those who were in favour, 12% were strongly so.

Maybe another poll or two should make us all demand another trip to the polling booth?

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