Zimbabwe
I turn to GLW for alternative media, not repetition of the mainstream lies. You should divert your space to more serious African cases such as Equatorial Guinea, where almost 90% of oil revenue goes to foreign multinationals. Robert Mugabe has taken too much flack, out of all proportion when compared to other dictators and murderous civil wars in Africa with tacit Western consent.
Mugabe, the West's demon king, has deservedly been frozen out by the rich nations. But he has caused less suffering and is responsible for less corruption than Rwanda's Paul Kagame or Uganda's Yoweri Museveni, both of whom are repeatedly cited by the G8 countries as practitioners of "good governance". Their armies, as the UN has shown, are largely responsible for the meltdown in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which has so far claimed 4 million lives, and have walked off with billions of dollars' worth of natural resources. Yet Britain, which is hosting the G8 summit, remains their main bilateral funder. It has so far refused to make their withdrawal from the DRC a conditionality for foreign aid.
The difference, of course, is that Mugabe has not confined his attacks to black people; he has also dispossessed white farmers and confiscated foreign assets. Kagame, on the other hand, has eagerly supplied us with the materials we need for our mobile phones and computers: materials that his troops have stolen from the DRC. "Corrupt" is often used by our governments and newspapers to mean regimes that won't do what they're told.
Don't let GLW get hijacked by the establishment's reality, the periphery are tired of seeing themselves through gucci sunshades.
Lesley Bowen
Paris, France
Mandatory detention
The Australian Democrats welcomed the Georgiou/Moylan bill and are keen to see the full details of the compromise offer by the prime minister. However, it appears that it will help just a few people and is unlikely to solve problems at the heart of our migration laws and the administration of detention policy. The immigration minister will be given a few more chances to be humane, but there is no compulsion and still no guarantee that all children will be out of detention.
There will be more reports on the condition of detainees and recommendations from the ombudsman, but no requirement for the minister to act on them. The government has a long history of ignoring reports by the ombudsman and our Human Rights Commission in this area. Producing more reports for the minister to ignore is likely to make an inefficient, exorbitantly expensive system even worse.
The Democrats hold to our call for a royal commission and we will move next week in the Senate to establish a comprehensive Senate inquiry into the administration of the Migration Act by DIMIA, with particular focus on detention and deportation.
We think the tide of public opinion is turning and faced with a backbench revolt, the prime minister has just handed more powers to the immigration minister, with no legal oversight over how they are used. Given the failure of the minister and her department to competently and fairly use the powers they have, giving them even more unfettered power is absurd. Setting time limits that cannot be enforced, with no consequences if they are not met, is of little use.
The Democrats have, for a long time, advocated an end to Australia's inhumane mandatory detention regime. We have voted against every piece of legislation that has restricted the rights of asylum seekers in Australia but each has been passed with ALP support. I am a regular visitor to the Maribyrnong detention centre and have taken up with government the treatment of people there on many occasions. I also chair the Democrats-initiated Senate inquiry into mental health services, including the impact of immigration detention on mental health. We have had over 500 submissions and will soon commence hearings in every state and territory.
Senator Lyn Allison
Democrats leader, Canberra
Venezuela
Adrian Wright (Write On, GLW #630) states: "While socialism is very popular in Venezuela at the moment, there is no political movement actively fighting for it. Chavez himself has categorically stated that he and his movement are not striving for proletarian revolution or a classless society."
Wright must have missed the lead banner of one million workers here on May Day. It called for workers' control and socialism. President Hugo Chavez's speech spent most of his two-hour speech condemning capitalism and very clearly calling for workers to take over industry, for the masses to continue to organise in their communities and for the construction of a participatory democracy and a socialist system.
Organised through the Endogenous Battle Units (UBE), Bolivarian circles, social missions, trade unions and various other political organisations, the working masses have taken up Chavez's call and are struggling for socialism.
Wright should first inform himself a little more about the political reality of Venezuela before commenting on it.
Roberto Jorquera
Caracas, Venezuela
Strange
It is strange. I went for a job as a union organiser with the United Services Union (NSW) and in my application I made it clear on two occasions that I was a member of the Socialist Alliance. At the end of the interview, for which I had travelled 360 kilometres, I was advised that if given the job I was to become a member of the ALP. I protested that I had made it known that I was with the Socialist Alliance. I was told that the SA was not a political party! When I insisted that the SA was indeed a political party, the interview was suddenly curtailed. It is strange!
Adrian Keefe
Lismore, NSW
From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, June 29, 2005.
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