Marking the 200th post…

To commemorate having reached the 200th mark, we have compiled a list of our 20 most favourite posts (not in any order) which you should read (if you haven’t).

1. Nakba Day, 15 May - this post was made last year to remind us of the continuing sufferings of the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories. While Israel will be celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, Gazans continue to live under the shadow of the economic blockade…

2. Situation in Darfur worsened for second half of 2007 - Given that the situation in Darfur has yet to improve, we should pay special attention to the humanitarian crisis in the region.

3. Failure of US- Iraq Invasion - two recommended books on current American’s foreign policy. Bob Woodward’s State of Denial provides an insight on the Bush Administration while Patrick Cockburn’s The Occupation details the failure of the Iraqi invasion at ground zero.

4. I think you should have a speedy Gonzales departure! - Torture American style and its Australian detainee, David Hicks…

5. May Day Rallies around the World in 2007 - Workers around the world celebrate May Day…

6. Suu Kyi “cannot stop her calls for sanctions” - a posting on the Burma uprising last year and why the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate is caught between a rock and a hard place. To date, the military regime continues to adopt a ‘close- door’ policy against international organisations. This is despite the current humanitarian crisis which is causing thousands of deaths.

7. Liberal Upbringing = Happy Children - an earlier post on why a liberal atmosphere might be conducive to bringing up happy kids.

8. Americans want change… so does the world… - Given the American Presidential elections are coming in a few month’s time, this post reveals how Americans yearn for change. Who would the Americans vote for? Will there be any differences in American’s foreign policy if a Democrat were to be voted into office?

9. Dennis Kucinich - The Most Progressive Democratic Presidential Candidate - America loses a potential president who could possibly made a difference.

10. Time to boycott the China Olympics - The idea of a boycott has been raised by fringe groups. Should sports have a priority over human rights? Given that China has steadfastedly refuse to improve its human rights record, what can human rights organisations do?

11. Repealing Death Penalty is not imposing post-colonial will - Asian autocrats claim that the death penalty is congruent with its Confucian values. This posting exposes the oft-repeated myth.

12. How Asians Commemorate Human Rights Day 2007 - The peoples of Asia desire and fight for human rights and democracy too.

13. Law Society, Mas Selemat and the ISA - The escape of Mas Selemat, a detainee who was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in Singapore, opens up a window of debate for the repeal of the legislation. The ISA is a piece of draconian legislation in Singapore and Malaysia which allows detention without trial.

14. The relationship between Human Rights and Democracy - Democracy is not just about conducting periodic elections. Human Rights Watch exposes this misconception and the West’s implicit endorsement of authoritarian regimes.

15. More by Tariq Ali - Excerpts and Links - Tariq Ali remains one of the generation’s most vocal and sharpest critics against Western hypocrisy especially with regards to Pakistan and Palestinian issues.

16. War on Democracy reveals sinister US administration - Watch ‘War on Democracy’, award- winning journalist, John Pilger’s first made for movie documentary which documents the US administration’s history in undermining Latin America’s democracy.

17. Panel agrees Howard government has managed to silence dissent in Australia - Howard might be gone but the damage he has done could outlast his legacy. This is an event review of a forum whereby politicians, academics and media commentators criticizes his government for censoring free speech.

18. Taiwan commemorates 20th anniversary lifting of martial law - Taiwan has become a member of the democratic club with a successful and mainly peaceful transition. Yet, it has been rejected by the UN as a qualifying member state. As Allison Hsieh who was quoted in this posting remarked, “Western countries that claim to support democracy and freedom must be much more assertive in their support for Taiwan’s right to self-determination…”

19. Amnesty (for) American Abductions - The current neo-conservative American Administration conducts illegal abductions under the banner of ‘war on terror’…

20. Sorry - The Australian government has apologised to the Indigenious community for its Stolen Generations policy but stops short of monetary compensation. This is in tune with the advancement of indigenious rights which has recently been recognised on the UN level when the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the General Assembly September last year.

May Day Rally 2008 @ Darling Harbour

This is the blog’s 200th post and also the first online video that we have produced.

This clip is a recording of the protest against the Labor State government for privatising electricity in New South Wales (NSW). Held on 3 May 2008 outside the Darling Harbour Convention Centre, the speakers of the rally included politicians such as John Kayes of the Greens who is a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC).

Earlier this year in February, about 12,000 people are reported to have protested outside the State Parliament House against the state’s decision to do so (ABC news, 2008). Despite being voted against the sell-off of 702 to 107, NSW Morris Iemma has went ahead with his plans (Carty, L 2008). Treasurer Michael Costa is also at the centre of the storm of controversy for convincing ‘Iemma that privatising power is the way to go’ (Sydney Morning Herald, 2008).

The Greens have criticized against this privatization effort because private power can contribute to global warming, cause lost of jobs due to restructuring and increase costs of electricity to consumers (Kaye, J 2008).

- Works Cited -

1. ‘Thousands protest outside NSW Parliament’, ABC News, 26 February 2008, accessed 10 May 2008.

2. Carty, L 2008, ‘Lights out for Labor faithful in power debate’, Sydney Morning Herald, 4 May, accessed 10 May 2008.

3. ‘Iemma loses privatization vote’, Sydney Morning Herald, 3 May 2008, accessed 10 May 2008.

4. Kaye, J 2008, Background to Electricity Privatisation, John Kaye’s MLC homepage, accessed 10 May 2008.

Lee on Iraq; 5th Anniversary Rally in Sydney

The senior statesman of Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, recently wrote an article, commenting that American troops cannot afford to leave Iraq now as it would leave a power vacuum which would be filled by lawless private militia who will cause societal disorder and sectarian violence. Just in case Mr Lee is in the dark, Iraqi society is already in tatters and is on the brink of a civil war (though some might argue that it already has happened). He further argued that America needs to continue having a presence in Iraq but that they ‘clearly cannot stay in Iraq alone’. Instead, he suggested a ‘multilateral approach’ in the form of a ‘coalition force’.

The solution that is proposed by Mr Lee, not only smacks of arrogance and ignorance, but also blatant disregard for the human rights and sufferings of the Iraqis. By suggesting that the Americans and a coalition force be stationed in Iraq, he is not only disregarding the astronomical and tragic cost and destruction of the invasion, but also implying that Iraqis are incapable of sovereignty.

—

In the Troops Out Now of Iraq and Afghanistan Rally and March, organised by the Stop The War Coalition in Sydney, commemorating the 5th anniversary of the Iraqi Invasion, as many as 200 people are reported to have turned up for the protest.

The rally which started at Belmore Park, near Central Station, around 1 pm, and saw a few prominent activists took to the stage to address a wide range of issues in the Middle East. Primarily on the political, social instability and turmoil in the region which be chiefly attributed to the grand American imperialist project.

Federal Greens Senator Kerry Nettle quoted statistics from Jospeh Stiglitz, former Chief Economist of the World Bank, who calculated that the Iraqi Invasion has amounted to three trillion dollars. She also related personal accounts from war veterans who said that they acted differently in the presence of the press.

Peace and non-violent Christian activist, Donna Mulhearn, reminded Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, of the significance of Palm Sunday. She lambasted Rudd on various issues including him for leading a motion to honour Israel’s 60th anniversary Day of Independence as an affront to the sufferings of the Palestinians. She also reiterated that it is time to bring all the troops home; and that Australia should boycott the Olympics in China for their grave human rights violations, especially, with regards, to its violent suppression of the peaceful Tibetan uprising.

Kathy Black from US Labour Against The War, spoke of the detrimental effects of the war not just to Iraqis, but also to the poor in America and the faltering US economy. Keyser Trad from Islamic Friendship Association related the personal anti-Islamic experience he faced and the climate of Islamophobia whipped up by the war on terror.

After the speeches, the protest march began to make its way to the Department of Defence to drive home the point of protesting against the war, before making a loop back to Belmore Park. The march was made more theatrical with the presence of three protestors, who had their faces painted white, dressed suitably, in white t-shirts, each with one of the words, ‘Stop The War’. Along the way, they pretended to drop dead or climb onto structures to draw attention to themselves and their message of protest.

Overall, it was an informative and highly charged rally. The fervour and passion of the protestors shows that there are still enough people out there who care enough to take it to the streets to protest against the disastrous American foreign policies in the Middle East.

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References:

1. The Cost Of Retreat In Iraq, Washington Post, 8 March 2008, Lee Kuan Yew

2. Sydney rally calls for Iraq withdrawal, Sydney Morning Herald, 16 March 2008