Christian
radical reflections September
7, 2004
Once more the conduct of Australia's
Prime Minister in the days leading up to the last election is under intense
scrutiny. Mr Howard wants the nation to be reassured by his personal integrity:
can he not be relied upon when he says Mike Scrafton did not tell him what Mr.
Scrafton now claims to have told him?
But is this the right way
to approach this issue? If Mr Howard is telling the truth, should he not be
asking Mr Scrafton why he, or some other official, failed to tell him what Mr
Scrafton claims now to have told him? There's no getting around this. The fact
that Mr Howard does not turn the attack in this way indicates that he prefers
to avoid raising the issue in that way. Then "border protection"
would no longer function as some kind of vote winner, but a project for the
entire country, something which cannot occur without a strong Public Service.
Those who have come to the view that John Howard is no longer credible as PM
will not be persuaded by his off-hand protestations of innocence.
Why has Mr Howard not
complained about being poorly informed? Why has he not complained that the
public service failed in its duty at a time when its frank and fearless advice
was most needed? Has he ever complained publicly about this failure? This is
why his appeal to his own integrity promotes suspicion of public servants.
There is something deeply wrong with such an approach - it implies a flawed
view of the Prime Ministerial office.
Are we to infer that he
does not care whether he was poorly informed or not? Why does he want us to
deduce, like he evidently does, that this was just another of those issues that
get politicised, that are useful for a season and then their importance dies?
Was it more important to use the phrase "babies overboard" to
reassure the Australian people that he, and his Government, were "tough on
border protection", than it was to tell the truth about this tragic event?
The inference from his ongoing conduct in relation to this matter is that he
wants us to view him as tough, and that he is still "toughing it
out". Presumably if he gets "soft" on Mr Scrafton's advice then
he can no longer maintain the fiction that Labor is weak on border protection.
Once again John Howard wants the entire country to endorse his view of the
"two sides of politics": a choice between some "other" view
which he construes as so obviously "soft" and his own approach which
is so obviously "tough".
This is the politics of carelessness. When he made the comments, backing up his since retired former Defence Minister, he was speaking as a elected public official. He has not apologised for the error. He has not apologised to the people he denigrated. Nor has he complained that he was given faulty advice. He was reckless then and continues now recklessly careering on. He acts as one who is more concerned to use such an event to prop up his electoral ambition, than with upholding the integrity of his high office. By his words he now continues to equate border protection with his re-election. To maintain the "tough" appearance, truth has to be fudged. In so far as the effectiveness of border protection requires the trust of the entire country, the current PM has thrown it overboard. Instead, this country needs a PM who will work to restore public trust in the public service. That way we can once again embrace border protection as an important part of our duty as citizens to seek justice for ourselves and for those who come to our borders seeking to live within the protection offered by our country.
September 2004 © Christian
Radical Reflections, is written by Bruce C Wearne (PhD), 29 Lawrence
Rd., Point Lonsdale Vic 3225 AUSTRALIA, 61-3-5258-3913. Each edition
may be photocopied or retransmitted in its entirety but not otherwise
reprinted or transmitted without permission. This personal project
aims to encourage positive Christian citizenship, the development of
policies and political attitudes that better express our love for God and our
neighbour. Your comments are welcome. Email can be sent to bcwearne@ozemail.com.au
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~bcwearne/index.html