From our archives
Elizabeth Krantz – 8 May 2006
Demanding freedom from massacre and genocide in West Papua is racist – Vanstone’s crazy outburst
Indonesian brutality in Papua The corpse of OPM leader Yustinus Murib displayed as a trophy by Indonesian troops, 5 November 2003. |
Immigration Minister Vanstone The idea of self-determination for the people of Papua is racist. |
One of the reasons this site exists is to publish commentary on important issuesignored or glossed over by the mainstream media.
While the mainstreams media hacks are publishing hundreds of column- centimetres of drivel in a desperate attempt to get traction over the Australian Wheat Board bribery allegations, (an issue ordinary Australians couldn’t give a rat’s about), a hugely important issue passed last week almost without comment.
Following the government line of appeasement to the Indonesian bullies, Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone declared in an article in The Australian, that the idea of self-determination for the people of Papua is racist.
“So-called Papuan nationalism in Indonesia is based on nothing more than hostility to people from other parts of Indonesia. Such racist sentiment should be condemned, not encouraged”, bleated Vanstone.
Never mind about the Indonesian hostility towards the Papuans.
According to Amnesty International, more than 100,000 Papuans have died at the hands of the Indonesian military.
Vanstone is sinking to the lowest level of the left-wing and greenie zealots who, bereft of logic and facts, resort to slogans and name-calling to put down opponents. The word “racist” is a pejorative term dreamed up by the Left’s ministry of propaganda to suppress debate on their favourite causes. To apply it to a race of people demanding freedom from genocide is extremely stupid and disingenuous of Vanstone.
If Vanstone is not aware of the level of Indonesian brutality in West Papua, she should read Genocide in West Papua?, a report by Sydney University’s Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies.
Vanstone is prepared to condemn a primitive people to life under a brutal colonial regime just to suck up to the Indonesian government and Muslim extremists groups in Indonesia.