At last at the Pearly Gates John Howard stood,
St Peter with steely eyes looked at him good.
He said, you've a bloody cheek comin' up here,
With your fibs and no sorries and your campaigns of fear.
Your "kids overboard" made us all feel quite sick,
It's common belief, your arse needs a kick.
How'd you ever think you'd be one of OUR number
Then an angel out back, yelled, "bloody Queue-Jumper".
WE say who comes here and CONDITIONS to enter,
You're number one choice for our DETENTION CENTRE.
It's worse than Nauru and Guantanamo Bay
And what's more it's for an INDEFINITE STAY.
Fear was your brother that won you the votes
WE saw what you did to poor bastards in boats.
SIEV X and the Tampa had you swell out your chest,
While the rest of the world your actions detest.
There's hope for you John while you wait in the basement,
Nick's getting old and he needs a replacement.
[Written by a refugee supporter and read out to protesters assembled at the "Grab your Granny" action outside the Perth detention centre on March 14 to condemn the detention of 74-year-old Vietnamese woman Thi Tu Nguyen, who was awaiting surgery for a serious medical problem. She is one of 40 Vietnamese asylum seekers who have been detained on Christmas Island since July 2003, after arriving on the fishing boat Hao Kiet. Two weeks after the protest, on March 31, Nguyen was put into the care of the Vietnamese community in Perth until her medical treatment concluded. A small victory.]
From Green Left Weekly, April 20, 2005.
Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.