Who owns Palm Sunday?
On February 11, for the second time in two weeks, I found myself excluded from a meeting of the Working Group to Stop War and Terrorism (the committee organising the 2002 Sydney Palm Sunday peace rally).
I attended the meeting hoping that the committee's policy of excluding members of the Democratic Socialist Party, the International Socialist Organisation and Socialist Alternative would be discussed. It was not. Instead, the chairperson, Peter Murphy, insisted I leave the meeting before it began and physically sought to prevent me from circulating a letter to the committee signed by 22 peace activists opposed to the exclusion policy.
DSP members played a constructive role in building the Palm Sunday mass peace rallies in the 1980s. In addition, our members are active in the Sydney-based Free the Refugees Campaign and Refugee Action Collectives in Newcastle, Wollongong, Canberra and Melbourne. They played key roles in organising mobilisations for refugee rights that attracted 6000 in Sydney and Melbourne on February 2 and 4000 in Canberra on February 12 (as well as numerous other actions around the country).
If Palm Sunday rallies are to strengthen the campaigns to end US-led global militarisation and end the Australian government's refugee detention policy they must be built by broad, open and inclusive committees. If you would like to add your name to a protest letter, send an email to <nick.everett@lycos.com>.
Nick Everett
Ashfield NSW
Smarten up!
Can nothing be done to stop Australia's tiny garden-gnome of a prime minister striding about New York and Singapore parks in appalling shorts (reed-like little legs protruding), wearing a vomit-coloured hat that should have hit the dustbin long ago? Must he always be a figure of fun, with his weepy red face and incomprehensible mutter? Other world leaders don't carry on like this — you don't see Colonel Gaddafi or Putin or Jacques Chirac prancing about like a five-year-old child on shorts. Try to show some dignity when you're overseas, Mr Howard! Don't make an idiot of yourself in front of the whole world!
Rosemary Evans
St Kilda Victoria
Recall the Howard government!
It is obvious now that the Howard government has been re-elected by telling untruths, fabricating myths and deliberately withholding vital information in relation to the Tampa crisis. The question now is how can an entire government be recalled by the Australian voters?
What was portrayed as tough leadership by the Liberals now turns out to be an example of disgracefully unethical electioneering and lack of real leadership.
However, there is no provision in the constitution for the recall of politicians, let alone the recall of an entire government on such grounds. Furthermore, the nature of the rigid two-party system is such that only a major split in the governing party, resulting in fresh elections, would provide that opportunity.
In practical terms, only the budget session provides the opportunity for the Senate to force the government to a double-dissolution election. Will the Democrats be prepared to change their policy on blocking Supply in these exceptional circumstances?
The budget is not just a financial statement. It reflects the entire range of government action. The alternative is to live for three years with a government that achieved power by deception.
Klaas Woldring
Pearl Beach NSW
Mental illness
Each morning the sun rises highlighting the sombre grey foreboding structure of Long Bay prison. Unbeknown to the average Australian, a large number of prisoners are starting the day with a cocktail of drugs, designed to dull the confusion and pain that this ever growing number of prisoners feel.
We, the responsible citizens of NSW and ultimately Australia, are blindly allowing the governments to criminalise illness.
The shocking truth is while the number of people suffering some form of mental illness skyrockets through out Australia, less and less resources are being made available. The commissioner for human rights, Dr Sev Ozdowski, recently informed a conference on mental health and corrections that 1.8 million Australians suffer from some form of mental illness but, as many of these people have multiple diagnoses, the real figure is only around one million.
I have looked closely at the alarming number of people being imprisoned for being mentally ill and took time out at the conference to speak to the commissioner, Ron Woodham. I asked him why was there around 1200 people in prison just because they were sick. He informed me I was wrong — there was only about 1000 — and if I listened to his presentation I would see he was personally doing something about it.
I did listen and yes he has allocated $400,000 for a house to care for 10 to 14 of these men and women held illegally by uncaring governments because it is cheaper to jail the sick than treat them.
More than 6000 deaths a year are a direct result of the government's neglect in the area of mental illness and sooner rather than later people will begin to sound the legal alarm bells.
Eric McCormack
Chippendale NSW [Abridged]
From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, February 20, 2002.
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