CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY

JOYEETA CHAKRAVORTY

(joyeetachakravorty@gmail.com)

As early as in 1925 former Australian Prime Minister Stanley Bruce in one of his campaign speeches said, “We intend to keep this country white and not allow its peoples to face problems that are insoluble in many parts of the world.” If nations are defined by their political leadership, Australia is defined as a Whiteman’s land where colored have little scope. What’s happening today justifies the vision of the founding fathers.

Nevertheless in 1973, the Whitlam Labor government tried to redefine Australia by amending the immigration law. Being one of the major immigration nations, it is considered essential for nation building. The people of Australia have of course different opinions. The two major parties in Australia differ quite much from each other in this issue since the Australian Liberal Party, now holding the office, supports more restrictive immigration policy and the Australian Labor Party would like to be more open with immigration and allow more immigrants to come to Australia.

Recession saw a decline in the economy and unemployment rose to 8 percent, an unusually high figure by developed country standards. The migrants not only sought permanent residency status but were available for all kind of jobs. The hardworking Asians can take up even three jobs a day. This has certainly irked white Australians and probably is the major reason for the rise in racism. The fear of losing out at the hands of Asians in their own country is the major reasons of the attack and disharmony in the continent. The issue is not majorly racist, it’s the ethnicity of the Australians that is at the receiving end in these troubled times. Sure enough, in the near future Australian economy would be the worst victim.

For India to take up the moral weapon, could be stretching it too far when foreigners have been raped and murdered in our own country. When north Indians are attacked in Mumbai and mass murders perpetrated against minorities in Gujarat and Orissa, we rather abandon the moral pretext. But since a crime is a crime in any part of the world we decry it. It is a crime against humanity.