Write On: Letters to Green Left Weekly

De Mello's death unnecessary

I worked with Sergio de Mello as his Indonesian interpreter in East Timor over a two-year period, when he was UN transitional administrator there. I accompanied him and his staff in a wide range of meetings and on a number of trips to regional areas.

De Mello was a consummate politician who was very skilled at negotiating in difficult political terrains and was able to co-opt support from the Timorese leadership for the UN's policies in East Timor. Potentially, there could have been more discontent among Timorese politicians who did not feel included in the process of governing their country, not to mention the thousands of unemployed people and a myriad of other problems confronting East Timor during the transition period.

De Mello took great pains to be seen to include various Timorese "stakeholders" in the political process. In the eyes of the UN bureaucracy and the donor countries, he played a key role in East Timor — and hence his rapid rise as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the US approval for him to take the top UN job in Iraq.

Unlike the UN mission in East Timor, which was seen by the population as a step in the transition to independence and therefore tolerated, the UN in Iraq is seen as an extension of US occupation, particularly through its endorsement of US plans for the Iraqi economy and the fact that the country would bear the cost of reconstruction out of its own oil revenue.

Unfortunately, the UN, including de Mello, has also actively supported the US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council. The UN, though opposing the war, cannot "mop up" after US military operations without suffering the consequences of being seen as representing another arm of the occupation.

Suicide bombings may be the extreme form of resistance to US occupation, but there have also been a number of peaceful demonstrations, sit-ins and protests involving thousands of people in Iraq. Therefore US President George Bush's attempt to downplay this as simply another terrorist attack is denying the depth of opposition to US policies.

The tragedy of the war in Iraq is that the oil interests of a handful of US-based companies have claimed the lives of Iraqis, US soldiers and now Sergio de Mello and other UN staff. It was a tragedy made by the Coalition of the Willing, when they ignored the majority of world opinion and pursued the course of war against Iraq.

Vannessa Hearman
Coburg Vic

Reply to Bill Game

Incumbent Western Australian CEPU/ETU state secretary Bill Game (Write On #550) describes himself as a "left activist". That description equally fits Les McLaughlan, who leads the ETU Recharge team in the WA CEPU/ETU.

Game queries my role on the state council and state executive of the WA CEPU/ETU (1995 to 1997). He stated that when I was on the state council that I "failed to raise any issues". On the contrary, I voiced my opinion on many issues. Perhaps the minutes only record decisions, not debate.

A study of the minutes will reveal that I supported Game's strategy on the Hamersley Iron dispute (for more information on the legal attack by Hamersley Iron on the WA unions, see the article I wrote in GLW #302).

Hamersley was the most pressing issue facing the union then, and at times an incredibly difficult one, generating much debate — but Game received critical support from the people who now lead the ETU Recharge team. This is not the same as "constant opposition".

The Hammersley fight was concluded in 2001 with Hamersley having been fought to a standstill. Game deserves much of the credit for this outcome.

Now we are two years down the track, and there is a pressing need for the WA CEPU/ETU to make progress in some critical areas, such as re-unionising north-west WA, and a joint campaign with other unions to fight off the impending attacks from the federal Coalition government's building industry royal commission. These issues need to be tackled urgently.

During the ETU election campaign, Game has concentrated on defending his past record but he hasn't put forward a plan for the future.

Game claims that rank-and-file structures in the contracting sector, where the Recharge team have their biggest base of support, have been deliberately run down, but elsewhere acknowledges that ups and downs are inevitable due to the cyclical nature of the industry.

However, the contracting sector can be judged by its performance. In the last 18 months, McLaughlan and his running mate Peter Carter have led the members through some hard campaigns — including 10-week stoppages — to win good agreements. I do not see other sectors of the union, where Game has more influence, mobilising members to achieve comparable results.

Also, the presence of Ian Gill as Recharge candidate for an organiser position shows that training and recruitment of good delegates have not stopped in contracting. And if it is going so well in other areas, why is Workers' First unable to field a full ticket in this election?

Anthony Benbow
Fremantle WA

Walk Against the War split

I write as an individual member of Auburn Community Peace Group. Last Monday's [August 18] meeting decided to wind up the Walk Against the War coalition and divide its funds 2/3 to the conspirators and 1/3 to as yet non-existent no-war coalition. I wonder, was it a WAW meeting or a WAR meeting?

Bob Gould was attacked by Laborites for daring to call for unity. Gould was soon drowned out by a cacophony of heckling divisionists. An AMWU boss attacked Socialist Alliance for daring to challenge their divine right to rule. All who questioned the split were deemed to be "violent", especially if they also supported the Books Not Bombs anti-war students. Many questioned my right to speak and even attend at the meeting as I belong to a non-affiliated group.

Some of the church groups recognised the role groups such as Socialist Alliance and Resistance played in helping to build for February's rally. Yet they supported the divisionists due to a fear of media-driven perceptions that WAW is being held captive to the left. (I wonder how they then allow themselves to be aligned with the Communist Party.) None of these people descended to the vitriol mentioned earlier.

My peace group includes those from CPA, Democratic Socialist Party, International Socialist Organisation, the Greens and Labor. After meetings, we go to a nearby coffee lounge for a friendly chat. Alas due to Hannah Middleton and [Peter] Murphy, I fear this may no longer be possible.

Both the Greens and a number of the local peace/no war groups chose to abstain. Local groups often have members on both sides of the divide. Greens would have liked us to stay united are considering joining the divisionists. Those not delegates were not allowed to vote. As a result, the vote to divide WAW funds (and thus to destroy the anti-war coalition) was carried by only a minority present.

Both the Socialist Alliance and the Socialist Alternative could clearly be seen as two groups that continue to take a strong principled for unity of the peace movement. I hope that some day soon they will unite with all who stand for human rights for all, social justice and oppose the Bush drive to take, to control and to kill.

Luke Weyland
Strathfield NSW

Disappointed with Greens

The disbanding of the Sydney Walk Against the War coalition (WAW) on August 18, pushed by conservative ALP and others, is a set-back for the anti-war movement.

A number of local peace groups held discussions about the reasons behind the move to disband WAW. Most concluded that for any successful social movement, diversity and unity are important principles to uphold.

Some local groups, many peace and union activists and some Greens members signed on to the unity motion. But the leadership of the NSW Greens declined to, and abstained on the vote at the meeting.

Greens' convenor Geoff Ash issued a letter to the WAW meeting backing a central argument of the conservatives. He said: "While a united anti-war movement is desirable, we understand and accept that some groups do not wish to work directly with particular groups and we respect that right to choose."

This is even more extraordinary given that the conservatives inside the WAW had consistently tried to deny the Greens a platform at the huge anti-war rallies earlier this year. Those pushing unity at this last meeting were the ones consistently arguing to have the Greens speak — given that they were the only parliamentary party to take a clear anti-war position with or without UN endorsement.

The Greens should remember who their friends are.

Pip Hinman
Newtown NSW

Free trade agreement

With everyone always having many things to do, how often we pass by the really big issues affecting us all, like the early GST tax proposals, so we now pay continually on purchases and services.

So watch out now on John Howard's latest big confidence trick, his misnamed US Free Trade Agreement.

Is anyone so naive as to believe that there can really be "free trade" between their huge monopoly industries and our smaller economy, their banks or their highly subsidised agriculture and ours subsidy-free ?

And there's films, TV programs and book publishing, not to mention military bases on our soil — all up for grabs by the greatest power on Earth.

Already, our Doctors Reform Society has warned of tripling costs, based on US prices, for medicines covered by our PBS scheme, if the huge American drug companies are allowed to move in.

And does anyone recall any "mandate" given to the government to sell us out in this way ?

So readers beware, and make your voices heard while you can.

Wrong archbishop, same bigotry

My letter as published about the Biblical justifications for homophobia in last week's GLW (#550) referred to it being addressed to the "Catholic Archbishop, Dr Peter Jensen". The Catholic Archbishop of Sydney is actually George Pell. The letter was intended for Peter Jensen, who is the Anglican (Church of England) Archbishop of Sydney.

However, both have virtually identical, fundamentalist positions. George Pell supports the Pope's line that even gay male or lesbian thoughts are "intrinsically disordered". Jensen takes the line that male homosexuality may have (literally) justified the death penalty in Biblical times but since "the coming of Jesus Christ ... persistent, flagrant and gross" homosexuality simply justifies "exclusion from the Christian fellowship". He has similar views about any sex outside of marriage.

While noting that many people would simply regard "persistent, flagrant and gross" sexual acts as being a good way to pass an evening when there was nothing on TV, the churches are sill trying their best to act as an ideological powerhouse to police and enforce backward views concerning sexual behaviour.

Dale Mills
Sydney

Apartheid in Israel?

Some facts:

• Non-Jewish Israelis cannot buy or lease land in Israel.

• Cars owned by Palestinians are colour-coded to distinguish Jews from non-Jews.

• Palestinians are not allowed to move from one city, say Gaza to Bethlehem, to another without first getting a "visa" from Israel.

• Israel allots 85% of the water resources for Jews and the remaining 15% is divided among all Palestinians in the territories.

• Israel routinely confiscates Palestinian bank accounts, businesses and land and refuses to pay compensation to those who suffer confiscation.

• It was not until 1988 that Israelis were barred from running "Jews Only" job ads.

• Israel stands in defiance of over 80 United Nations resolutions.

• Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was held responsible for the massacre of more than 2750 Palestinians in the refugee camps of Sabra and Chatila. The UN qualified the massacre by Sharon as genocide.

• Sharon's commando unit in 1953 razed the Palestinian village of Qibya, killing all its citizens and bombed all the houses, mosques and schools.

• Settlement building on Palestinian land increased considerably since the signing of the Oslo agreement.

• Palestinian refugees make up the largest portion of the refugee population in the world.

• The Ha'aertz newspaper in Israel estimated in 1998 that a population of 5800 Jewish settlers in Hebron consumed 547 litres of water a day each? By contrast, a population of 119,230 Palestinians in the same area consumed or had access to no more than 58 litres per day each.

• Between 1967 and March 2002, more than 600,000 Palestinians have been jailed in Israeli jails and more than 200 have died while in Israeli jails? During the first year of the second intifada alone, Israel arrested over 1900 Palestinians, of which 600 were children under 16.

• Between 1967 and early 2002, Israel demolished or sealed over 8500 homes, of which 2500 were in East Jerusalem alone? Houses are demolished as punitive measure or under the pretext of "lack of building permit" — permits are rarely granted.

• Between 1967 and early 2002, Israel expropriated some 79% of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

James Kyriazis
Melbourne

Perils of Pauline

Anyone would think she was an "illegal" except for the fact that she actually got an open trial. And she'll never see the inside of one of Howard's wicked hell-holes in Nauru or Baxter. Her sentence is nonetheless unduly harsh and rather stupidly unimaginative, as well as completely out of kilter with community expectations.

Peter Woodforde
Melba ACT

No trains

So the three trains a day between Canberra, Queanbeyan and Sydney have stopped, because of acute staff shortages on board. The volunteer "stationmaster" supervising the bus at the historic Queanbeyan railway station said this morning it will be "at least until the end of the month but we do not know". Not a whisper out of local politicians or experts in sustainability, but it got a run in the Sydney papers.

Well Queanbeyan is far too busy making bucks building flats. I suppose if Mr Howard took us to war in Iraq to defend global trade and people vote to the tune of his dog whistle not his racist lies should we expect planning for greed, greed and more greed and war forever?

Yvonne Francis
Queanbeyan NSW

Resistance in Iraq is justified

The US, Britain and Australia illegally and without provocation invaded Iraq in March of this year. It was the most unjust military intervention that Australia has ever participated in. It resulted in thousands of innocent Iraqis being killed and maimed, and they continue to suffer at the hands of the occupation forces.

The Iraqi people have little choice but to fight back against the oppressive forces who now occupy their land. To do otherwise is like sitting back and allowing Saddam Hussein to once again run their country.

It is no wonder that the Iraqi Guerrilla fighters are taking out oil pipelines in Iraq. The same oil, if it continued to flow, would pay for reconstruction contracts handed out without merit to companies belonging to the occupying forces. The same oil would be used to rebuild Iraq along western lines with a puppet government. You only have to look at the Iraqi Governing Council to see how far the US is prepared to go to ensure a sympathetic government is imposed. Its members are largely Iraqi exiles who haven't lived in the country for a generation. One of its leading members, Ahmad Chalabi, is a wanted criminal in Jordan.

If the Iraqi people really value their culture, religion and freedom, they are going to have to fight for it. The Coalition invaders have too much invested to simply walk away. Their pride won't allow them to withdraw or look at alternatives which will save both American and Iraqi lives. But as the US death toll rises in Iraq, the US administration will be faced with mounting pressure at home to get out of the mess they have created. Already there is a growing chorus of disgruntled democrats who are whinging about the post-war occupation of Iraq. As the Presidential election approaches, this will escalate into a cacophony.

Adam Bonner
Meroo Meadow NSW

Marriott Hotel bombing

In the context of a world-wide, maximum alert against al Qaeda, and a heightened Indonesian alert against Jamiah Islamiah, which is especially concentrated in Jakarta, and extra security concentrated on buildings like the Marriott Hotel, a lone driver pulls up in the middle of the bright day, parks a van in front of the Marriott Hotel and is blown up, with the van, and the hotel. How could a lone driver in a van be allowed to get so close to the hotel?

Yet the Indonesian police are able, three days later, to say that it might have been "so and so", whom we recorded on phone, promising to be a martyr for the cause. So they've verballed the pieces of the dead man, and already alibied themselves, to counter any demands for an investigation into secret, police collusion in these catastrophes for political ends,

Denis Kevans
Wentworth Falls NSW

From Green Left Weekly, August 27, 2003.
Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.