As I have said before, this issue is a complex one which requires a bipartisan approach to resolve it. It requires good people from all political parties to work together, with SBY, to reach a solution. Mungo makes some good points in his article. Boat debate not so simple By MUNGO MACCALLUM Monday, 8th July 2013 Suddenly the asylum seeker debate is not quite so simple. The Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has made it clear even to the most stubborn voter in the front bars of the western Sydney pubs that Tony Abbott does not have the answer. His three word slogan “Stop the Boats!” now simply invites the retort “How?” because the solution of turning them back is no longer on the table. Actually this has been clear to most students of the subject for some time: Indonesian politicians and officials have consistently explained to anyone who will listen that Jakarta will just not wear it. It is unarguable in international law that asylum seekers heading for Australia become Australia’s problem, and any attempt to return them to Indonesia is not only unacceptable but illegal. Abbott has insisted that the warnings are irrelevant: when he is in government some form of tow back can be negotiated. But now we have the word from the very top: No, it can’t. The communiqué signed by SBY and Kevin Rudd acknowledged that the only solution to the asylum seeker crisis lay in regional co-operation and ‘‘stressed the importance of avoiding unilateral actions which might jeopardise such a comprehensive regional approach and might cause operational and other difficulties to any party.’’ And to drive the point home, SBY offered to hold a summit conference involving all stake-holders to take the first steps towards finding common ground and stemming the tide. There were still those who didn’t get it: Abbott’s immigration spokesman, the ghastly Scott Morrison, preposterously asserted that the reference to unilateral action had nothing to do with his policies, it must be about Rudd’s dismantling of the Pacific Solution back in 2008; Rudd had signed a communiqué attacking himself. When Indonesian officials patiently explained, as though to a simpleton, that no, the communiqué meant just what all the briefings had said it meant, Morrison barely drew breath before saying well, in that case, a comprehensive regional approach would just have to wait; Australia would do what was in its national interest and Indonesia would just have to cop it. And he went back to the ever-reliable Howard mantra: “We will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come here.” Well, it sort of worked in 2001, but that was 12 years ago – a lot of things have changed, among them political attitudes in Jakarta. And they are about to change further; SBY’s term is coming to an end and the next president may well be someone less friendly to Australia, whoever is in power here. Abbott has been warned, but seems determined to persist. And suddenly Rudd’s prediction of diplomatic crisis which might even escalate to something worse does not look quite so far fetched. In opposition, Abbott and Morrison have just appeared cynical and misguided. In government, they could become mad, bad and dangerous to know.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 03:34:51 +0000
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