All heil the rabbit-proof vest

July 6, 2009 at 3:35pm | 21 views and 0 comments, leave your own

Two obvious truths have been at the forefront of our minds ever since the govenrment of Australia enacted the “Northern Territory Emergency Response” legislation two years ago — and, in no uncertain terms, began molesting the inhabitants of some 73 indigenous communities.

Those obvious truths are as follows: The so-called intervention is racist; and, the government is a coward for enacting it.

It is a molestation. And the government knows it. However, right now it is trying to remove the horrid image of “scary fingers reaching” and make it look more humanitarian by finally engaging in a consultation process

The Rudd Labor government announced it would do so, on May 21, 2009 – interestingly, just one day before the United Nations Economic and Social Council renewed its concerns over the discriminatory nature of the intervention. Among many points raised, the Committee urged the government to conduct a formal consultation.

The illusion of process

The government officially began moving ahead with the consultation on June 15, 2009. Unfortunately most community members haven’t had the chance to participate because nobody told them it was happening.

Noted by the Green Lefty Weekly, one community leader stated that she herself didn’t learn about the consultation until some ABC journalists asked her about it. “That’s not good enough, ” she states. “It should have been a public meeting out in the open, for the whole community, not behind closed doors. It needs to be one voice out there in the open if this is proper consultation.”

Far from being “proper”, the consultation appears to be little more than a vulgar attempt to manufacture indigenous consent.

Such government scheming is constant these days. In fact, just this week the National Indigenous Times obtained leaked documents which revealed Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin was advised by her department not to consult Indigenous People over land grabs.

“Read, agreed and noted” by Macklin on March 26, the documents further recommended against reinstating the Racial Discrimination Act (RDA) because it could lead to a “significant risk” in the courts. In 2007 the RDA was suspended to legalize the intervention.

Following her pledge, Macklin announced in June the government’s intention to drag 16 more indigenous communities into the intervention legislation — in order to “compulsorily acquire” their land for infrastructure and other development. Prior to this, the Tangentyere Council, which holds the land titles for all 16 communities, rejected the government’s demand to give them the land for a total of 40 years.

Incidentally, After the government’s finished with the Alice Springs land grab, it plans to take control of even more indigenous towns in Darwin.

“All heil the rabbit-proof vest”

It takes a certain kind of person or government to infringe upon peoples lives (with or without their consent) while promoting an image of moral integrity to the world – as Australia so often does.

A sort of person who can rationalize rape or genocide because they’ve constructed a personal value to suppress an irrational fear of their memory and self-image. Let’s call it a “rabbit-proof vest.”

Like the well known rabbit-proof fence of the early 1900s, this “vest” provides a desperate solution to their very presence on the land — that is, to the legacy they’ve inherited and their open refusal to take responsibility for their actions and learn from the “mistakes” of their ancestors.

Instead of learning from history, modern Australia is doing its best to repeat it.

It’s a profound resemblance to Adolf Hitler’s “final solution” or both Canada and the U.S. solution to the “Indian Problem.”

But even so, Australia stands alone with its claim that their “solution” is an act of love and respect for Indigenous People.

As such, the govenrment will continue to march on with its “scary fingers reaching” across the land which they’ve so obviously buried in their own heart and minds.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 6th, 2009 at 9:43 pm and is filed under Field Reports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.