Things are a little political around the place these days, and I hope you’ll indulge me if I post this here. Long rant ahead.
See no Evil
This week has seen Mark Vaile, Deputy Prime Minister, Leader of the National Party, Minister for Trade, appear before the AWB enquiry into the Oil for Food program bribes. The AWB (Australian Wheat Board), monopoly holder for Australian wheat exports, was caught by the UN giving a 10% bribe on all wheat sales to Iraq from 1999 to 2003. The bribe equates to $300 million, so this involved serious money in anyone’s terms. Mark Vaile, as Minister for Trade, should have had his eye on something like this - a large domestic company operating in a risky environment dealing with large sums. Indeed, it appears his department, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), at the very least has keep tabs on this, with 21 diplomatic cables crossing the department’s desk.
Only… Mark Vaile, Minister for Trade, didn’t. “I do not recall seeing that,” was his answer for things. He blithely either ignored it or refused to examine it further than accepting the word of the AWB that it was not engaged in potentially illegal activity. Mr Vaile suggested that this was not as such his responsibility to further investigate; it was the Minister for Foreign affairs who should have been looking into this.
Hear no Evil
This week has also seen Alexander Downer, Minister for Foreign Affairs, appear before the Cole enquiry into AWB. Mr Downer is responsible for foreign relations, and as such lies approximately 3rd in the pecking order of the government. Mr Downer is also associated with DFAT, and also “cannot recall” the 21 diplomatic cables. He also claims that he wasn’t the one responsible, that indeed the Australian government as a whole wasn’t responsible for monitoring these contracts; that rested in the hands of the UN, who oversaw the whole program and should have been faster to react.
This despite the UN putting the responsibility on governments to ensure their nationals, be it people or companies, comply with the UN’s sanctions. And also the fact that the UN is composed of world governments anyway, including our own.
Speak no Evil
Today, John Howard, Prime Minister of the nation, our “Supreme Leader” of the moment, appeared before the Cole enquiry. John Howard has created this enquiry and he is fundamentally the playmaker, able to change the enquiry basically on a whim as he has majority control throughout parliament and runs his party more like a king than a democratic leader. Howard has gotten away with some brash, shamefaced lies before, and it appears he did so again today.
Howard employed his own special brand of doublethink to seriously claim he “never suspected AWB rorted the United Nation’s oil-for-food program in Iraq, despite believing for years Saddam Hussein’s regime had corrupted the scheme.” He also cannot recall the 21 diplomatic cables, hard evidence, nor can he recall warnings raised by Australia’s intelligence agencies. He says he didn’t believe concerns raised because of the “great reputation” of AWB.
In summary, the government knew nothing, suspected nothing, disbelieved naysayers because of their confidence that the AWB would not lie to them about criminal conduct.
This government is clearly either terminally clueless, criminally negligent or simply covering their own tracks, passing the buck and finding ways to weasel out of dirty issues. They aim to be a teflon government. Vaile and Downer have no right to their titles as they clearly don’t have a clue what is going on in their own department, and lack the courage to stand up and speak when they should, when they have the responsibility to. Howard, teflon man since day one of his election as Prime Minister, is a shrewd and clever politician who has succeeded in destorying much of the edifying legacy of his Labor predecessors. The Liberal Party and their coalition partners the Nationals have maintained their grip on government through cynical and opportunistic manouvers backed by convenient lies and appealing to the lowest common denominator of the electorate.
And the Australian people don’t give a damn.
Those Two Fruitcakes I Mentioned
One, a former plumber from Tehran raised to the position of leader of his country. The other, a born again Christian (supposedly) who astounds with his ability to appear to be totally lacking a clue while apparently the leader of the most powerful nation in the world today. One, with a nuclear arsenal that is the legacy of years gone by. The other, with a dream of reaching beyond and the twinkle in the eye of world-striding power.
It is somewhere between these two men we find the world balanced. While both make the motions of peace, the world inches ever closer to all out war on a scale unseen. The Cold War didn’t ever turn nasty, but the lines drawn now seem to be a lot more starkly put than ever before. America wishes to maintain its cultural hegemony, while Iran seeks to be the champion of the Islamic world, a theocracy raising its sights from its former position of less-than-meek submission. The oil states are beginning to flex their power as the final oil crisis looms, when we finally hit the limit of what the legacy of the many millions of years runs out and we must move to a different source to power our insatiable desire to grow.
The move by Iran to declare nuclear membership is a dangerous one; not because of the potential of an Iranian nuclear device being held, but rather what America under Bush will do. We’re not yet even halfway to seeing Bush gone and some sanity potentially returning to the leadership of the USA, whichever side of politics it comes from. Outright denial of claims that a military strike (possibly involving nuclear weapons) could happen is the only way to think we are not moving towards the brink, but there has been no denial outright. It’s insanity to consider where this could head. The two insane men between whom the scales swing are dangerous, and it is the obligation of the people to speak up and against the insanity.