In the fragile recovery from mega-bushfires, floods, drought and the pandemic, Australians are looking for competent, trustworthy and decent political leadership. If the Eden-Monaro by-election was a leadership testing ground, both major parties failed.
Nevertheless Kristy McBain deserved to win for her staunch hands-on leadership and stewardship of her community during the mega-fires.
In their desperation to win, the LNP resorted to appalling machinations to discredit Labor. The desperation was fuelled by the accumulative corruption and incompetence of PM Aloha’s governance.
Morrison, can’t erase his Hawaiian betrayal of the Australian people during the mega-bushfires and post-fires negligence of victims, nor erase the 2000 Robodebt-related deaths, the sport rorts, the Ruby Princess, and Australia’s recession intensified by the LNP’s attacks on China, our largest trading partner, tourist and student visitors to appease the manic Trump.
Morrison hit the by-election hustings with spectacular displays of scaremongering- announcements of unproven Chinese cyber-attacks and and the AFP raid into fake Chinese interference in the office of NSW MP Shaoquett Moselmane. All topped with a messianic flourish of a profligate military expenditure during economic recession and crippling unemployment.
The LNP hypocrisy beggars belief given Australia’s foreign interference i.e. spying for economic advantage over our neighbour, Timor Leste as well as the KGBesque secret trials of Collaery and Witness K.
Mr Moselmane’s crime – his ongoing appreciation of China: which is itself the key to maintaining the lucrative economic partnerships created between Chinese business and Australian winegrowers, cattle and sheep industry, agricultural farmers, universities and the growing warmth and good will between Australians and welcome Chinese tourists. He was also attempting to protect the Chinese community from the racist assaults they have suffered impelled by government caterwauling from the US anti-China songbook, by ALP silence and by the right-wing pundits from Sky and radio drongos.
The ALP has reacted with appalling gutlessness and betrayal. NSW Labor leader, Jodi McKay’s knee-jerk betrayal of Mr Moselmane, her asking “the general secretary of the party to begin the process of suspending his membership of the Labor Party. It’s the right thing to do” – in effect damning Mr Moselmane guilty til proven innocent – says everything about the weakness of the Labor Party since losing elections. In April, she humiliated herself by buckling under Haldley’s attacks on Shaoquett Moselmane’s principled defense (backed by the WHO) of China’s stemming of COVID 19 cases. McKay, as good as, cloned Berejiklian’s spineless stooping to a shock-jock and the premier’s disloyalty to Louise Herron who, by standing on principle, refused to turn our Opera House into a billboard for Alan Jones’ Everest advertising.
The Labor strategy is pathetically transparent; Clone itself into the NLP i.e. keep its mouth shut until the next elections or vote with the LNP instead of providing the gutsy moral leadership the Australian people want and need.
Also, the rabid bias of the ABC and mainstream media against Mr Moselmane also speaks to the desperation of journalists gripping to their jobs, rather than their integrity, as the Government and News Corp strip the ABC and media down to the irrelevance of propagandists and Sinophobists.
Back in the day, Howard was Bush’s deputy-sheriff. Now PM Aloha is Sancho Murdoch’s donkey. Both servant and donkey accompany their master Trump who insanely tilts at windmills that spin disorderly and dangerous Sinophobia that will severely hurt Australia (hiked-up university fees are a foretaste).
Shaoquett Moselmane has joined the long queue of the Innocent sacrificed on the altar of major parties’ political ambitions. For what? Ultimately, the LNP and ALP are smashing the Chinese Golden Goose Egg and it’s all over their faces.
Dr. Vacy Vlazna is Coordinator of Justice for Palestine Matters. She was Human Rights Advisor to the GAM team in the second round of the Acheh peace talks, Helsinki, February 2005 then withdrew on principle. Vacy was coordinator of the East Timor Justice Lobby as well as serving in East Timor with UNAMET and UNTAET from 1999-2001
Dr. Vacy Vlazna is Coordinator of Justice for Palestine Matters. She is the author of East Timor: Reveille for Courage, editor of a volume of Palestinian poetry, I remember my name and writes political commentary for a number of independent online magazines. She was Human Rights Advisor to the GAM team in the second round of the Acheh peace talks, Helsinki, February 2005 then withdrew on principle. Vacy was convenor of Australia East Timor Association and coordinator of the East Timor Justice Lobby as well as serving in East Timor with UNAMET and UNTAET from 1999-2001.
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