Australian voters speak out
By our reporters
21 May 2019
Socialist Equality Party (SEP)
campaigners interviewed scores of workers and youth at polling booths where the
party ran candidates in the lower house electorates in Queensland, New South
Wales and Victoria during last Saturday’s Australian federal election.
Labor, the Liberals and the
Greens, along with the corporate media refused to discuss any of the major
political questions confronting millions of ordinary people during the short
four-week election campaign. Nothing was said about the widening chasm between
rich and poor, Australian involvement in the US-led preparations for war
against China or the imprisonment of WikiLeaks journalist Julian Assange.
By contrast, hundreds of
workers passionately endorsed the SEP’s campaign to secure the release of
Assange and US whistleblower Chelsea Manning, describing the two as courageous
individuals, heroes, legends and similar appellations.
There was enormous support for
Assange and Manning in Calwell, the working class electorate in north-western
Melbourne that is home to many refugees and immigrants from countries
devastated by US imperialism, including Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.
Amgad said: “I feel very
strongly about this—I feel 100 percent positive about Chelsea Manning and
Julian Assange. It’s a question of American imperialism. They are pushing for
war in Iran, look at John Bolton, look at that fool Trump. There is no moral
backbone amongst any politicians in any country.
“Nothing Julian Assange did
was wrong in his publications as a journalist. Why isn’t Rupert Murdoch in
jail? There is free speech, but not for all. What is happening to Julian
Assange is a free speech violation and it’s happening in a Western country, not
Saudi Arabia. One thing we have to do is make this the Australian government’s
biggest responsibility, and get Julian brought back here.”
Matt, a Bangladeshi IT worker,
said: “Julian did the right thing. That’s the real truth. The sad reality is
that big, powerful people always run the world. Obviously they didn’t like that
he brought to light many things. I’m always against war. The media and
politicians just spread hate for their own monetary benefit. There are two
groups in the world: one is the ruling class, the other is the general class.
The ruling class manipulates us in any way they want.”
Franklin, a taxi driver
originally from Sri Lanka, said he was “extremely concerned” about Assange.
“Julian Assange is the man that should be free and those that committed the war
crimes behind bars. The US government is the criminal. Assange is being treated
this way because he spoke the truth. The man that speaks the truth is in jail
and the ones that carry out the crimes are free and counting their millions.
Every war, wherever it is fought, is all about profit.”
Khalid, a worker, originally
from Lebanon, said: “If Julian is sent to the US, he will never see the light
again. I think he is an honest man. All he did was to tell the people the
truth… and he shouldn’t be in jail. We, as citizens, should have the right to know
what’s going on, where our money goes, what our government is doing.”
Khalid supported socialism, he
said, because it was antiwar. “Wars are not about people, they’re about money.
That’s why the US is now threatening war against Iran—so the Arab countries
will run and buy guns from the US. Every time they go to war, it is to make
money.”
Khalil, an engineer said:
“Assange is in prison because he revealed their dirty secrets—all their
influences in the Middle East, their bad deeds and the political dirt.
Governments weren’t happy and they accused him of hurting their security—this
is what governments do and it is what is happening in the Middle East, and is
being done by the rulers there. I’m with Assange.”
Mehdi, a construction worker
originally from Afghanistan, said: “My country has been in war for the last 30
to 40 years. I’ve seen war and all the disadvantages and bad things in war and
I’m against it. I really like this man Assange. He leaks all the internal
policies of the USA and international politics. Whenever America or NATO
intervenes in a country it is to help the governments not the people.”
Hamid, originally from
Algeria, opposed the persecution Assange. “On the one hand, the western powers
say that they are promoting human rights, democracy and freedom but on the
other they are abusing freedom of speech. I don’t think they have any
justification for arresting Assange. He tried to reveal what they were hiding,”
he said.
“I have great respect for
Assange. Without him we don’t know what is going on underneath. Everyone knows
that the USA makes reasons to justify where they intervene, especially if there
is oil. A long time ago they used the pretext of human rights—that a country
wasn’t complying with human rights—and go to war with that country. Now they
are not even using that. They don’t even care.”
Feristah, a teacher, voted for
the SEP, as did her daughter Eve, a lawyer. “Your slogan ‘No to militarism
and war!’ was appealing. The Liberal government has spent a lot of money on
preparing war with China. If you talk about going to war, you’ll end up going
to war. I think countries like the US, France, Germany, the UK are dominating
world politics,” Feristah said.
“Look at Venezuela. What is
Trump doing there? What are we doing there? Why are we interfering? If they
hadn’t been interfering in Syria as they have been for years, the world
wouldn’t have to deal with 10 million Syrian refugees.”
Eve defended Assange.
“His only ‘crime’ was to let people know of the dirty work that these
governments get up to. These countries are no longer accountable for their
actions. We need to take ownership of Assange, he hasn’t done anything wrong.
It’s sad that he’s lost so many years of his life confined to such a small
space. He’s a hero at many levels. They’re out to get him in any way shape or
form—he’s a victim of great power politics.”
These sentiments were repeated
in the western-Sydney electorate of Parramatta.
Zabi, 50, originally from
Afghanistan, said he voted for the SEP.
“What they are doing to
Assange is horrible. It’s an attack on freedom of speech, against journalism.
Now, all journalists are threatened because of what they are doing to Julian
Assange.…
“The ideas presented by the
SEP are in line with my ideas, my way of thinking, the way things are going. I
don’t like the other parties—the Liberals, the Labor party, the Greens. Their
track records, their history are totally opposite from the way I think. They
are for the corporate wealthy and supporting military interventions.
“The US will do anything to
maintain its control, their number one position in the world. Sadly, Australia
is a follower. Whatever the US dictates, Australia follows without thinking
what is in the best interests of Australia.”
Ioana, 28, said the election
was “a joke” and added: “The fact that they haven’t mentioned war means that
something big is going to happen around the world because people are getting
angry and fed up…
“I know about Julian Assange
and I think everyone has a right to voice what they believe in and the truth
should be out there. He’s been unfairly treated, almost worse than an animal,
and there are no human rights. He should be free…”
Jay, a 34-year-old western
Sydney construction worker, said Assange should be released. “He’s a legend and
wants to expose what the big players are doing. There should be more people
like him. Each of the big players is trying to cover themselves…
“This is an attack on freedom
of speech. And now we are in danger of a new war in the Middle East where more
innocent people are going to be slaughtered, people displaced all over the
world.… The big players are after oil, resources. They don’t care about ordinary
people like us.”
Merwais, a Western Sydney
University student, praised Assange and spoke about the danger of war. “All the
organisations, publications and journalists that have abandoned Assange and
attack him are run by private business funds. They don’t follow the facts and
don’t want to damage their reputation even if that means hiding the reality, he
said.
“The world is becoming more
destabilised and what’s happening in the Middle East is spreading and now the
US wants to intervene into Iran. Whatever Iran is doing is better than a US
intervention—look at the disaster the US created in Iraq. It’s much worse than
what it was like under Saddam Hussein. The strategy the US is using to inject
their government and culture is not working. It’s leading to colonialism and if
precautions are not taken it will lead to World War III.”
Isaac voted for the SEP
in the Hunter electorate after meeting party campaigners in a local shopping
centre. “None of the real issues have been discussed by any other of the
parties in this election. The issue of war and the dangerous situation now
present is not discussed. Yet this danger of war is affecting people everywhere
including in Australia.
“The governments here will not
act on our concerns about war because they know if they back away from support
for the US war drive they will quickly be made accountable by US so they remain
totally committed. Assange has let people know about what the US has done, and
is doing, and now he is being persecuted for it. He should be supported by
everyone.”
Lachlan, another Hunter voter
and a bushland regeneration worker, said Assange has “done great things and
doesn’t deserves the punishment he’s been getting and shouldn’t be extradited
to the US or Sweden.”
Governments are “preparing for
war” everywhere, he said. “There’s so much going on behind closed doors that we
don’t know about… There’s lots of evidence of America trying to interfere in
the politics of foreign countries for their own economic gain, and Australia
goes along with it. What’s needed is a complete overhaul of government. I don’t
know what I’d put in place of that, but I lean towards socialism. I think
anything would be better than capitalism.”
Zameel, a low-paid aged care
worker who had just finished night shift, spoke to SEP campaigners in Oxley, a
working-class electorate in Queensland.
“I hope you [the SEP] do very
well. I’m all for a socialist campaign, for equality. Corporate capitalism
obviously isn’t working at the moment.”
Zameel was outraged over the
persecution Assange and Manning. “They’re heroes, especially Chelsea Manning,
for refusing to testify for the second time,” he said. “That takes true guts.
And people recognise that.
“It’s a travesty the way the
Australian government has treated Assange. The inaction by both the major
parties is pathetic. For Julia Gillard to call Assange a criminal made her a
bit of a fool, considering the secrets he uncovered, some of the program he
helped disclose.”
Peter, a public servant, was
passionate about the defence of Julian Assange. “Knowing the decline of
journalism, we need people like him,” he said. “He’s informing society, and the
Australian government should step in and defend its own citizen. Exposing the workings
of the government is not a crime. He’s a part of the media and helps preserve
our civil liberties, which generations of people fought for.
“Every thinking person
realises that we are heading toward a one polar world, with one prevailing
view, and everyone is supposed to fall into line and be obedient, despite the
fact that we are supposed to have freedom of speech. So the one who speaks out
is an enemy of the state. How democratic is this?”
Colin, an unemployed labourer,
was disgusted by the election campaign. “The two parties [Liberal-National and
Labor] are the same,” he said. “They don’t care about people, and voting won’t
change the system, which is stupid and useless.”
Referring to Assange and
Manning, he said: “Manning is so courageous for refusing to testify against
Assange, which is my understanding of why they’ve jailed her. Both Assange and
Manning have a much higher moral strength and argument, in my opinion, than
Trump and his administration… Julian Assange should be brought home to
Australia and treated like a celebrity, given a hero’s welcome.”
Asked about the SEP’s slogan
“No to militarism and war, for internationalism and socialism,” Colin said:
“I’m against all the flag-waving you see. There should be no national
boundaries. I agree that people ought to be able to live wherever they want.
There’s no difference between countries … I think people in all countries are
basically the same and I agree they need to fight together against the
corporations.”
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