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Australia's intervention into Papua New Guinea
Posted on Friday, October 03 @ 20:18:54 CDT by spno

Our Region Howard acting in the interests of his class...

When the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ invaded Iraq, Bush and co faced a massive worldwide anti-war movement and they had to hide their greedy interests behind claims of searching for WMDs.
Such is the arrogance of Australian ruling class that when they virtually recolonised PNG in September, the Financial Review declared: “This is the colonialism we had to have”.
From independence in 1970 until now, Australian companies have raped the resources of PNG, the Federal Government has bankrolled a compliant Port Moresby political elite—who in turn kept their people in poverty and in place.
However, the rampant corruption of the local elite and the growing unrest of ordinary PNG people has encouraged Canberra to change this arrangement. The post-S11 and post-Iraq war period has provided the political space for Howard to get away with this recolonisation of PNG.
Foreign Minister Downer was sent to PNG where he told PM Michael Somare ‘allow us to act or we’ll cut the $333 million a year in aid’ (most of which returns to Australia anyway). Somare had no choice but to agree.

Economic takeover
300 Federal and State police are being sent to take control of the local force. Administrators are to be dispatched to take control of PNG ministries—organising privatisations, cost cuttings, sackings, and generally applying the economic rationalist stick.
The PNG intervention follows a similar one in the Solomon Islands weeks earlier. More can be expected.
The new government policy was clearly outlined in a Senate Committee inquiry into Australia’s relations with PNG and the South Pacific which called for “a Pacific economic community using the Australian dollar, a common labour market and budgetary and fiscal standards”.
This would lead to job losses for Australian workers and greater exploitation of workers in the region.
We say: No trust in Howard’s new colonialism - it’s in the interests of the Australian ruling class, not the people of the region.
For unity between workers’ organisations throughout the region.
For a socialist confederation of the region.

 



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