The Howard Govt's worst yet
The death throws of a tired and dis-credited regime? That's something we won't know for 4 or 5 months.
However, the Dr Haneef case in Australia takes this administration's deceit and incompetence to new lows. A innocent man is prevented from leaving the country to see his wife and new-born child under the Government's new 'anti-terrorism' laws.
The Dept of Public Prosecutions lodges a case on the flimsiest of evidence and a magistrate orders the man's release, as it becomes apparent that the DPP case is based on flawed police evidence, Then the Minister of Immigration revokes the innocent man's visa supposedly on 'character' grounds, and he is re-incarcerated.
When the prosecutor, under the weight of media attention, acknowledges that key parts of the evidence were false it is clear that the case is consigned to history; the innocent man leaves Australia as soon as possible - the Minister of Immigration meanwhile, clings to the fiction that he had a valid reason for revoking the visa in the first place and says that the speed with which the man left the country 'heightens his suspicion' [presumably about the man's guilt]; but he releases no new information which would make us believe he ever had a valid reason in the first place.
Dr Haneef presumably left on two counts: one, he no longer has a current visa - and is theoretically not supposed to be in this country, and 2) he [not surprisingly] wishes to see his wife and the new-born child that he has not yet, and has been prevented from seeing.
So the only question that remains, is whether Mr Andrews [the Minister], in sticking to his position and not offering an immediate apology, is a complete idiot, a cretin, or both. The only unsurprising thing is the the Prime Minister, mr Howard, says he stands by his minister.
However, the Dr Haneef case in Australia takes this administration's deceit and incompetence to new lows. A innocent man is prevented from leaving the country to see his wife and new-born child under the Government's new 'anti-terrorism' laws.
The Dept of Public Prosecutions lodges a case on the flimsiest of evidence and a magistrate orders the man's release, as it becomes apparent that the DPP case is based on flawed police evidence, Then the Minister of Immigration revokes the innocent man's visa supposedly on 'character' grounds, and he is re-incarcerated.
When the prosecutor, under the weight of media attention, acknowledges that key parts of the evidence were false it is clear that the case is consigned to history; the innocent man leaves Australia as soon as possible - the Minister of Immigration meanwhile, clings to the fiction that he had a valid reason for revoking the visa in the first place and says that the speed with which the man left the country 'heightens his suspicion' [presumably about the man's guilt]; but he releases no new information which would make us believe he ever had a valid reason in the first place.
Dr Haneef presumably left on two counts: one, he no longer has a current visa - and is theoretically not supposed to be in this country, and 2) he [not surprisingly] wishes to see his wife and the new-born child that he has not yet, and has been prevented from seeing.
So the only question that remains, is whether Mr Andrews [the Minister], in sticking to his position and not offering an immediate apology, is a complete idiot, a cretin, or both. The only unsurprising thing is the the Prime Minister, mr Howard, says he stands by his minister.
Labels: Australian politics
posted by Crema-editor at 3:30 AM
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