Malcolm Turnbull told the UN that our treatment of refugees is world’s best practice. Only a guilty conscience could allow such self deception.
In her book ‘Eichmann in Jerusalem’, published in 1963, Hannah Arendt refers to the ‘banality of evil’. Her thesis was that Eichmann was not a fanatic or sociopath, but an extremely stupid person who relied on cliché rather than thinking for himself and was motivated by professional promotion rather than ideology. She says ‘The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil’.
In a post in this blog Hugh Mackay speaks of ‘intentional brutality … why not call our asylum policy what it is – immoral?’ More politely Pope Francis speaks of the ‘gentrification of our hearts’. We are more concerned with money and comfort than the cries of the those in peril . In Syria for example.
Our policies towards asylum seekers – cruel, evil and immoral- depend on our first dehumanising and then demonising then. They are not like us and do not deserve empathy and protection. It is an attempt to dull and chloroform our consciences.
- It began with John Howard who told us that asylum seekers are so devoid of humanity that they would even throw their children overboard.
- Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison laundered our language to hide the cruelty and brutality of our policies. Asylum seekers became ‘illegals’, even criminals. The Department of Immigration and Border Control now uses the term ‘illegals’.
- Journalists are excluded from detention centres because we might hear the cries of abused people.
By focussing on people smugglers Ministers divert attention from the plight of desperate people.
Scott Morrison urged the Liberal Party to beat the anti Muslim drum so that there would be less empathy for refugees. - Senator Abetz told us that asylum seekers that commit crimes in the community should be listed like paedophiles.
- Scott Morrison told us that refugees bring disease and wads of cash.
- John Menadue A.O. has had a distinguished career both in the private sector and in the Public Service.