Aborigines and human rights

Aborigines and human rights

On Aug. 29, The Jakarta Post (page 6) carried a story on the
first leg of British Foreign Secretary robin Cook's Southeast
Asia tour with the heading Malaysia rejects UK's stance on human
rights.

Before his visit, Mr. Cook said that in each country, the
British government's priorities included "ensuring respect for
human rights". One wonders why Britain feels it needs to
sanctimoniously lecture Southeast Asian countries on human
rights.

Recently, the Australian Aboriginal activist Burnum Burnum
died at the age of 61. He was little known, as the press did not
report his human rights campaign very extensively.

Burnum and his friends once visited southern England, stood
atop the white cliffs of Dover, and planted the black, red, and
gold Aboriginal flag to claim Britain for his people. It was a
response to Britain declaring Australia as British-owned land
some 200 years earlier.

But Burnum declared he wished "no harm to England's native
people". Instead, "we will bring you good manners, refinement and
an opportunity to make a fresh start". It was a pointed reference
to the British settlers' brutal treatment of the Aborigines in
Australia during "Abo-shoots" -- when Aborigines were gunned down
mercilessly like wild game.

Some people may ask why bring up a subject that happened long
ago? Let's discuss recent news, then. Burnum, before he died,
tried to organize a national meeting of Aboriginal elders, which
he hoped would show the world how few natives Australians lived
past the age of 55. The life expectancy of Australia's 300,000
Aborigines today is on average 20 years less than whites, due to
poor living conditions and little access to healthy care. The
attitude of the Australian government and people is basically
indifference.

Why doesn't Mr. Cook lecture his Australian cousins about
human rights? Because people of British stock are above being
lectured to?

FARID BASKORO

Jakarta