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Australia, U.S. Behave Tyrannically, Says Ex-PM
CANBERRA, Australia - Australia's government and close ally the United States behaved in a tyrannical way and for "evil purpose" by jailing militants at Guantanamo Bay, former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser said on Monday.Fraser, a conservative and mentor to current Prime Minister John Howard, said Australia seemed to have lost its democratic path under the man who served as his treasurer and centre-right Liberal Party deputy before becoming leader in 1996.
In an election year criticism of U.S. influence over political direction in Australia, Fraser said Howard should never have agreed to a citizen and accused Taliban fighter, David Hicks, being locked up for five years at Guantanamo Bay awaiting trial.
"We used to believe that those in positions of political authority would respect and work to protect the rights of all Australian citizens. We now know that to be naive and incorrect," Fraser said in a speech to the Australian National University.
"Policies now applied suggest that the rule of law and due process for all people, regardless of influence, race, religion, color or country of origin, is under threat."
Fraser, who led Australia from 1975 to 1983, has become alienated from his political roots and has been a staunch critic of many Howard policies, including enforced detention for refugee hopefuls in remote offshore processing centers.
In one of his strongest anti-Howard speeches so far and with polls showing slipping support for Australia's leader ahead of elections later this year, Fraser said Australia's agreement with Guantanamo military tribunals was a disgrace.
"The main story is a willingness of two allegedly democratic governments prepared to throw every legal principle out the window and establish a process that we would expect of tyrannical regimes," he said.
"That our own democracies should be prepared to so abandon the rule of law for an expedient and as I believe, evil purpose should greatly disturb all of us."
Hicks, 31, the first war crimes convict among the hundreds of foreign captives held at the Guantanamo prison camp, is due to be sent back to Australia soon under a plea bargain agreement.
He was sentenced by a U.S. military commission to seven years' jail after pleading guilty to supporting terrorism before his capture in Afghanistan in December 2001, where he trained with al Qaeda.
© Reuters 2007.
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14 Comments so far
Show AllMalcolm Fraser was a rightwinger in his day but those rightwingers weren't same as the extremists in charge of Australia and America today who are busy sullying the name of both countries. Fraser has seen the light and come to embrace humanitarian ideals with time, experience, and age. Admirable.
These Austrailians share one disturbing similarity with America, and that is the "Religious Right". In both countries these dangerous "warriors for christ" stop at nothing to 'evangelicize' those who are not 'saved' or do not 'believe'.
Look at the two most powerful Austrailian's who rule America today. I'm talking of course Rupert Murdoch and filmmaker Mel Gibson.
The influence of christianity here is nothing like what it is in the US - we don't have the same history. We have had an openly atheist govenor general. However, those few who are nutty are as nutty as US fundie nuts.
I'm a US citizen and an Australian permanent resident. I can vouch for the fact that the Australian Christians aren't nearly as evangelical as the Yanks. I made the decision to obtain Australian permanent residence shortly after 9/11 fearing that the propaganda effect of 9/11 would be similar to that of Pearl Harbor. Now, 2 lost wars later and with more mayhem to come, I don't regret the move.
@jpbreeze. Mel Gibson was born in the US, and is American. He was raised in Oz. Good bloody riddance to both of them.
Mal Fraser has at least one thing that both Little Johnny and Shrub do not have; Mal was a statesman in the traditional sense, and was respected and admired by other world leaders.
"Australia, U.S. Behave Tyrannically, Says Ex-PM"
Uh, ya think?
We're turning the whole damn world against us. We're gonna get nuked someday. I just know it.
The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Someone will topple us someday. The US can't be The Superpower forever.
I wish I could move to another country! Any sane country in the world taking American immigrants?
New Zealand is the answer. Unfortunately, apparently lots of cashed-up yanks have jetted down there to snap up second homes, pushing up real estate prices to buggary.
Thank God America got the puritans and we got the convicts.
Re koalaburger, actually the puritans moved on, with New England a model of relative modernity. It's the South that's the problem, and that's home grown. W.J. Cash's The Mind of the South is a brilliant exposition of the Southern temperament, but I'm still looking for a decent explanation of the origins and persistent reproduction of Southern evangelism, a 'curse unto the nations' (as they would say).
Not to disparage the importance of the present discussion concerning the facist Brown Shirts of Christianity gaining influence in the corridors of power of the world's Super Power and some of its allies.
A much feared and warned against re-marriage of church and state in the western world after a 300 odd year separation. The Devil groom will do his best to lead us to Hell. Let us pray and do all in our power to prevent this retreat toward the pre-Renaissance, but aren't we moving off topic?
Three cheers for Ex PM Fraser for calling a spade a spade and not waiting until he's pushing up daisies to make a posthumous statement against these facist travesties. Now if only Malcolm's example could be followed by some ex-US Prezzies. Spineless, lap dog lot that they are. Their silence stains them with shame.
Arbeit - I happened to move from North Carolina to Spain 23 days before 9-11 and I don't regret my move at all, either. The demise of Democracy is probably worse than we think and I only can hope that the Dem's will, at the very least, turn back the tide of these right-wing groups of corrupt, anti-democratic, corporate fascists... It's bad enough to read about it here, but worse to visit and witness the ignorance.
evanj - The poor educational system, which has long been a problem in the southern U.S. states, has undoubtedly caused to some degree, the perpetuation of religious fervor. More recently, that is since the mid-70's, the degraded educational systems throughout the U.S. has created a climate of less-than-better analytical thought throughout the country - and to no minor degree enhanced the likihood that knowledge become based on some type of faith rather than reason... That's my reasonings, anyway.
I was definitely not a Fraser fan during his time but I mainly disagreed with his economics not his ethics. I detest John Winston Howard for his economics and his complete lack of ethics.
He is not the "Man of Steel" but he certainly exhibits a tin hide.
To all you American citizen bashers out there: please don't think we are all of the same mind as our "nuts" that are always in the media. Remember, we have been fed a crock of crap by our government and big-business for many years. Most of us "puritan" " yanks" are hard-working, HONEST, caring individuals just as you all may be. AND WE ARE AFRAID! WE ARE VERY AFRAID OF THE SITUATION IN OUR COUNTRY AND THE WORLD. BUT WE TRIED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT BY VOTING AGAINST THE REPUBLICANS. However, our government is beyond corrupt now, and those of us who barely survive working 60 hours a week, are caught in the middle. Again, to generalize all Americans as "nut jobs" or "whacos" is simply buying into Hitler mentality. Please don't do that.