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