All’s fair (and just) in an election year
Mr Ruddock continues to assert that the Australian Government is doing all it can for David Hicks, and that it is working to ensure safeguards are in place for him to be given a fair trial. It is, however, difficult to imagine an outcome that could be more politically embarrassing or damaging for the Government than for David Hicks, after all this time, to be found not guilty of the charges suggested. It is surely of major importance to the Government now that he be tried and convicted of serious offences, and before this year’s election takes place.
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The cynicism of the Attorney General and the Prime minister has been of concern to me for many years. They bring nothing but shame on the legal profession and I have written letters to all of the law bodies in Australia asking why these solicitors can’t be publicly called to account by their peers. I have received no replies.
I have written letters to legal bodies, such as the Law Society regarding the conduct of the Hicks matter by the AG and the PM.My question has always been why hasn’t the legal fraternity publicly censured these solicitors for bringing the Law into disrepute. No answer from any.It is discouraging to know that these men are above the Law. They encourage disrespect for the legal process. These legislators who hold the law in contempt.
It makes me ashamed of our Australian government, knowing that they are so poorly look after it’s citizens. It does also, and probably more important, terrify me that this could happen to any one of us in the right or should I say, wrong circumstanes. You just know that the government is looking after it’s own self interest far and above looking after it’s citizens.
Perhaps a person such as an ex-prime minister, with friends in all branches of the legal profession and heads of industry, knows someone somewhere who is embarrassed enough by our pitiful attorney general to remove him from his undeserved office and reverse his greatest travesty against the concept of citizenship to our nation.
Perhaps this person is aware that Afghan citizens who took up arms against the United States as members of the Taliban have been released from custody in G-bay.
This individual may even realise the potential vote-winning natue of David Hicks’ plight, and convince said friends who contribute significant money to the liberal party election chest that it is in their interests to bring him home.
David Hicks is the Tampa of 2007 and the prime miniature is currently ordering it to dock in Sydney harbour.
The Government claims it has pressed the United States for a speedy trial. After 5 years, that is a bit thin. If the Government had wanted a speedy and a fair trial, it would have required the United States to try Hicks in the normal United States justice system or in a standard court martial. Both would have secured a fair trial. The rules now published for the new military tribunals will not allow a fair trial. The rules of evidence and the procedures of the court will make that impossible. One can only conclude that these tribunals are designed to find Guantanamo Bay prisioners guilty.
Today some woman phoned the local radio station here in Cairns and spoke with the talk back host, John McKenzie about the lack of justice shown to David Hicks.
John McKenzie tried all he could to browbeat her, and the two ended up in a heated argument.
The woman tried to make the point that it was about justice while McKenzie was saying it was all about “terrorism”.
If anyone reading this excellent site can give McKenzie a call on his radio station any time between 9am and 12 noon on a week day, Telelphone: 07 40311846 and inform him, I would be grateful.
The Government’s attitude in the Hicks mater seems curiously at odds with its position in the Schapelle Corby Case. One gained the impression that the Government was keen to see that she was treated “justly” and rightly so. However, the prima facie case against her was very strong and as matters stand she has been convicted of being involved in drug trafficking.
Nonetheless there still remains some elements of sympathy for her cause despite the fact that she was involved in a trade that has cost thousands of lives and results in enormous social and financial costs to communities across the world.
But Mr Hicks appears to have done very little. In fact what has he done to warrant such a denial of justice. Not even the most brutal of war criminals or domestic rapists or murderers are treated in this fashion.
Ivan Milat got a better deal than David Hicks.
It is unconscionable that the only reason why the Prime Minister and Attorney General would become interested, after five years, in the well-being of one of our fellow citizens who is being illegally detained by our closest and most important (so they constantly remind us) ally is because they may make political groubd from doing so. And even then, their efforts are non-commital and have not yet shown results. I think it is imperative to Australia that these people be removed from office this year.
I think it is passing strange that Saddam Hassan was given a trial before David Hicks, if one believes everything that the USA said about him he was the anti Christ and yet he was given legal justice of a sort while David Hicks who appears to be someone merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. I wonder how the blessed trinity of Downer, Howard and Ruddock sleep at night.
The government’s cynical disregard for justice in Hicks’s case, in its nauseating self-abasement before the Americans, diminishes us all. How do we convince the complacent masses to vote against this abomination?
And how would Lucy’s “complacent masses” do that? (comments Jan 26).
Is Australians All planning to become a political party?
Can its current role as a pressure group make any real difference?
I am a feminist and an advocate for human rights. I can’t tell you how it irks (euphemism!) me to spend hours of my time advocating for a man who supported the mysogynistic and barbaric Talaban.
That I do so will give you some notion of how important I believe the principles involved in the Hicks detention to be. All of those principles have been well ‘aired’ in the public forum. (If we had a government who understood principle I wouldn’t have to spend my time and energy - as do so many others - trying to teach them.)
Now it only remains for our government to fulfil their role, end this unlawful detention and bring our citizen home, where he belongs. Moral ‘bandruptcy’ is not a ‘good look’ for a political party seeking re-election.
The sooner they act on this, the sooner they can start the job of ’spinning’ events to make themselves look like heroes (as they did when forced by their citizens to intervene in East Timor).
David Hicks is a tool in John Howard’s, overflowing, terrorism tool box. Howard’s action, as opposed to his inaction, has kept Hicks in G-Bay. He is a man without original thought, and as such, is a rear view mirror visionary. He cares not what others may think of him as he has no self esteem. One really cannot blame JWH for he is totally oblivious to the long term damage he has inflicted upon Australia. Sorry Malcolm, but the Liberal party, having allowed this to perpetuate for so long, should have no right to exist once this darkness is lifted.
Many Australians are alarmed and confused by the mixed messages coming from Muslims.
On the one hand Muslims say Islam is a peaceful religion, and on the other hand we see daily examples of Muslims in brutal confrontations with those of other religions, and quoting the Koran to support their actions.
The earlier parts of the Koran, from Mecca seem fine, and in keeping with most peaceful religions. But the later verses, written when Mohammed was in conflict with “unbelievers” in Medina, are contradictory and seem to advocate brutal violence at every turn.
Muslim scholars state that the earlier peaceful verses have been abrogated (revoked) by the later warlike ones, which are the verses to be followed when there seems to be a conflict.
It is not the peaceful verses quoted by Muslims that are the problem, but the brutal ones quoted by terrorists and warlike clerics.
Surely Muslims themselves must see the problems here for world peace. Courage and honesty are needed.
I am concerned about Australia’s standing should George Bush continue to defy Congress, the Senate and the American people in continuing the war in Iraq.
The opinion polls from America clearly indicate the people do not want to continue the Iraq war.
John Howard has signed the ANZUS alliance committing Australia to the Iraq conflict. The Australian people gave Howard a clear mandate to continue the alliance at the last election.
Where do we stand therefore, if Bush continues in defiance of his Government and people?
I gather the USA is fast approaching some sort of political crisis. How will that affect Australia?
Does anyone have any ideas?
Our Prime Minister, abetted by the Attorney General and the Foreign Minister would appear to have conspired to pervert the course of justice through their support of the overturning of the norms of the process of criminal justice. What does this say about the status of these functionaries in the legal profession? As a private thinking citizen of mature years, I am appalled at their lack of character. Also, what does it say for the fate of others who fall foul of them or their system? Deutschland circa 1933-38 would be a reasonable analogy given the other things done in the name of “Anti Terrerism”.
Yes, courage and honesty are needed, but not just within the Islamic world. WE need to act with courage and honesty, and above all, with the dignity befitting a free, democratic state. So far, we have not done so.
But to blame all this on our leaders is not enough. Since David Hicks was imprisoned in 2001, we have had one federal election, at which the overwheling majority of our citizens voted to amintain the status quo. At that time, that included Hicks, the Iraq war, the Government’s deplorable stance on refugees and complete ignoring of indigenous issues. And the Liberal party remains united behind these most unliberal policies. I’m sorry, but the Liberal party stopped being Liberal when they elected John Howard leader. We must demand change.
It seems incredible to me that we the people need to speak out in defence of the ‘rule of law’ for David Hicks against a government that claims this as the strongest moral pillar of their governance. I take some comfort from the fact that my 30 years of liberal support together with John Howard’s legacy ends on this issue.
The government’s complicate support of David Hicks’ treatment, has sent a clear message to our enemies (terrorists) as to what it considers to be a satisfactory application of the ‘rule of law’.
This begs the question – ‘How will the Australian Government be able to bring pressure to bear on overseas authorities that wrongly detain myself, my family or my friends?’ They will respond that they are affording my loved ones the same ‘rule of law’ that my government found acceptable in the case of David Hicks (citizen). Primarily: detention for 5 yrs without trial; access denied to established legal systems; inhumane treatment in custody.
So, I fight not just for David Hicks but for the 4 million Australians, including my family, that travel o’seas each year. The government claims a mandate to ‘save Australians from the threat of terrorism’, yet it seems to me that in their handling of this David Hicks issue, they have made the world a less safe place for us all.
Magi, I think you left out a word: …”a man who ALLEGEDLY supported the misogynistic and barbaric Taliban”.
Now that the people of Australia have woken to the injustice of the proposed rules for the tribunal hearing the case against Hicks, it may well be that the Federal Liberal Party will find itself holding a much hotter potato than it anticipated when (not if) Hicks is found guilty.
In turn, the Australian people may swiftly deliver its own brand of justice to all Federal Liberal Members to demonstrate their objection to the defiling of the Australian system of justice in substitution for the imposed US system.
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Oh, Lordy! Suddenly the Prime Minister (Little Johnny What’s His Face) has discovered that David Hicks has been languishing in a US-run jail for 5 years.
Doesn’t he watch the news? All of a sudden, he has discovered (accidentally in election year) that Hicks has not been treated justly.
Perhaps I am just cynical (10 years of Howard can certainly have that effect!), but shouldn’t our government be representing (and upholding the legal rights) of all our citizens?
I don’t know whether or not David Hicks is guilty of terrorism offences (although I may be able to field a guess!!) However, our government should be vigorously upholding his right to a fair and legal trial. Roll on the election, as I have something to say!!
Jannie
It is my honest hope that at the next election that John Winston Howard receives such a rebuttal from the electorate, that he feels can no longer reside in Australia. But where can he go?. I have visions of both him and Tony Blair, arriving at the George W. Bush ranch in Texas as political refuges.
Stewart Ross
Tonight I watched an article on the so called “interrogation techniques”used at Guantanamo Bay, on the ABC’s LATELINE Program and the subsequent interview with Major Morris Davis. From this I have had my opinion reinforced that David Hicks cannot receive a fair Trial, . The treatment David has received and the way “evidence” against him was produced are nothing short of a total sham. This Australian Government in going along with these procedings has made me Cringe with shame. David Hicks has become to me a reason why we must all stand up and let this Government know that they do not do this in OUR NAME. NEVER in our name. It must be called to account by caring citizens.
Wendie Hickey