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Leaving the bodies of asylum seekers in the sea is inhuman Leaving the bodies of asylum seekers in the sea is inhuman
(4 months later)
Around 55 asylum seekers, believed to be Afghan Hazaras, were aboard a vessel that sank near Christmas Island last week. They are now presumed dead, and if any of them actually are not, they soon will be.Around 55 asylum seekers, believed to be Afghan Hazaras, were aboard a vessel that sank near Christmas Island last week. They are now presumed dead, and if any of them actually are not, they soon will be.
The Australian government has indicated it will make no further efforts to retrieve the bodies of those who drowned. They will be left floating in the water, like a grotesque Keep Out sign. Our borders have become a watery graveyard of the desperate; a testimony to the heartlessness of our political leaders; an emblem of international embarrassment.The Australian government has indicated it will make no further efforts to retrieve the bodies of those who drowned. They will be left floating in the water, like a grotesque Keep Out sign. Our borders have become a watery graveyard of the desperate; a testimony to the heartlessness of our political leaders; an emblem of international embarrassment.
These 55 people are not faceless: they were sons, daughters, sisters and brothers with their own individual dreams and fears, their own personal histories. Would this kind of uncivilised indifference be extended to passengers of a luxury cruise liner, or a US military ship?These 55 people are not faceless: they were sons, daughters, sisters and brothers with their own individual dreams and fears, their own personal histories. Would this kind of uncivilised indifference be extended to passengers of a luxury cruise liner, or a US military ship?
It is difficult to imagine another group of people who have their humanity stripped away in this manner. Our leaders have reduced their lives to craven sound bites, their persecution to a political problem and their dignity to a deprioritised task for operational forces. Australian politicians have become so obsessed with this issue that they have excised the mainland, detained large numbers of children (sometimes indefinitely), created a non-detention detention centre in a tiny Pacific island, and forecast to spend $2.3 billion over the next four year on the sorry mess that is offshore detention.It is difficult to imagine another group of people who have their humanity stripped away in this manner. Our leaders have reduced their lives to craven sound bites, their persecution to a political problem and their dignity to a deprioritised task for operational forces. Australian politicians have become so obsessed with this issue that they have excised the mainland, detained large numbers of children (sometimes indefinitely), created a non-detention detention centre in a tiny Pacific island, and forecast to spend $2.3 billion over the next four year on the sorry mess that is offshore detention.
The UN Refugee Convention was borne out of one of the darkest moments in our recent history. Drafted in 1951, it served as a resolute attempt to light a candle in the darkness that lingered from the second world war. One of the most potent symbols of the suffering of refugees was the plight of the MS St Louis. In 1939, the ship sailed from Germany, carrying 938 Jewish refugees fleeing persecution. Denied refuge in Cuba and the US, its doomed journey of rejection finally ended when the ship returned to Europe. The refugees were eventually admitted to a number of countries, but 254 did not survive the Holocaust.The UN Refugee Convention was borne out of one of the darkest moments in our recent history. Drafted in 1951, it served as a resolute attempt to light a candle in the darkness that lingered from the second world war. One of the most potent symbols of the suffering of refugees was the plight of the MS St Louis. In 1939, the ship sailed from Germany, carrying 938 Jewish refugees fleeing persecution. Denied refuge in Cuba and the US, its doomed journey of rejection finally ended when the ship returned to Europe. The refugees were eventually admitted to a number of countries, but 254 did not survive the Holocaust.
In Australia, 74 years later, another ill-fated boat acts as a symbol of our understanding of refugees. Despite occupying vast tracts of our national dialogue, the impact refugees make upon our society is minimal: they are only 2% of our annual immigration flow and our intake is embarrassingly small compared to other countries (we ranked 41st globally in 2007, behind the US, Germany and the UK). Ironically, we are a world leader at integrating refugees into our society once they arrive. But rather than this being a source of pride and an impetus for greater generosity for the persecuted, we are subjected to a political race to the bottom.In Australia, 74 years later, another ill-fated boat acts as a symbol of our understanding of refugees. Despite occupying vast tracts of our national dialogue, the impact refugees make upon our society is minimal: they are only 2% of our annual immigration flow and our intake is embarrassingly small compared to other countries (we ranked 41st globally in 2007, behind the US, Germany and the UK). Ironically, we are a world leader at integrating refugees into our society once they arrive. But rather than this being a source of pride and an impetus for greater generosity for the persecuted, we are subjected to a political race to the bottom.
This inhuman decision to leave the dead in the ocean begs the question: can our political leaders sink any lower? Tony Abbott has robotically promised, on loop, that he will stop the boats. There is a certain irony in a man who has spent three years obsessing over broken promises making one that will almost certainly undergo a similar fate.This inhuman decision to leave the dead in the ocean begs the question: can our political leaders sink any lower? Tony Abbott has robotically promised, on loop, that he will stop the boats. There is a certain irony in a man who has spent three years obsessing over broken promises making one that will almost certainly undergo a similar fate.
Both major political parties must take responsibility for letting this discussion get completely out of hand. People are driven to seek asylum because they are desperate for their lives. To suggest that we can craft policy that can deter a life and death journey of these proportions is naïve. Would Tony Abbott resort to force to keep his promise? Politicians may appeal to the rhetoric of saving lives, but this rings hollow when the policy solution posed is yet more inhumanity.Both major political parties must take responsibility for letting this discussion get completely out of hand. People are driven to seek asylum because they are desperate for their lives. To suggest that we can craft policy that can deter a life and death journey of these proportions is naïve. Would Tony Abbott resort to force to keep his promise? Politicians may appeal to the rhetoric of saving lives, but this rings hollow when the policy solution posed is yet more inhumanity.
For the many who are sympathetic to refugees, it is worth remembering that the terms of this national debate are not intractable. They could easily change. It is clear from the polling on this topic that Australians are misinformed about the facts (for example, only 25% of Australians accurately identified the proportion of asylum seekers that make up our annual immigration). This misinformation is traded on by the Coalition and conservative media, and this is permitted to happen by various Labour politicians who are either ineffective at challenging it, or determined to ignored it in the narrow minded pursuit of votes.For the many who are sympathetic to refugees, it is worth remembering that the terms of this national debate are not intractable. They could easily change. It is clear from the polling on this topic that Australians are misinformed about the facts (for example, only 25% of Australians accurately identified the proportion of asylum seekers that make up our annual immigration). This misinformation is traded on by the Coalition and conservative media, and this is permitted to happen by various Labour politicians who are either ineffective at challenging it, or determined to ignored it in the narrow minded pursuit of votes.
There is also a reason we keep refugees locked up, away from the public spotlight. The image of Seena, orphaned in the Christmas Island boat tragedy in 2011, was haunting – and his humanity was undeniable.There is also a reason we keep refugees locked up, away from the public spotlight. The image of Seena, orphaned in the Christmas Island boat tragedy in 2011, was haunting – and his humanity was undeniable.
This has to stop. We need to depoliticise the debate and own up to our international responsibilities by making the legal right to asylum a meaningful reality. Only when the suffering created by our policies becomes visible, and the facts are laid bare, can we hope to escape a brutal legacy of a policy that condemns the vulnerable to the devil and the deep blue sea.This has to stop. We need to depoliticise the debate and own up to our international responsibilities by making the legal right to asylum a meaningful reality. Only when the suffering created by our policies becomes visible, and the facts are laid bare, can we hope to escape a brutal legacy of a policy that condemns the vulnerable to the devil and the deep blue sea.
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