Opposition lawmaker accuses Howard of being anti-Asian

Opposition lawmaker accuses Howard of being anti-Asian

Peter O'Connor, Associated Press, Canberra

A senior opposition lawmaker Wednesday accused Prime Minister
John Howard of being anti-Asian and of squandering Australia's
credibility in the region by playing deputy sheriff to the United
States.

The claims came a day after Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir
Mohamad accused Canberra of hypocrisy for telling Australians to
avoid Asia for fear of terrorism, and as tensions rise with
Jakarta over raids on Indonesian Muslims in Australia by security
agencies in the wake of the Bali bombing.

Mahathir also again blocked Australia's bid to join the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations, The Sydney Morning Herald
newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing officials from the trade
group which met this week in Cambodia.

Labor Party lawmaker and opposition trade spokesman, Craig
Emerson, said Howard had a history of prejudice against Asia and
Asians that was now showing in his government's trade and foreign
policies -- which are focused primarily on links with Washington.

"It's time the prime minister re-engaged with Asia at all
levels instead of squandering Australia's hard-won credibility by
playing deputy sheriff in the region," Emerson told an audience
of academics and students at Monash University in the southern
city of Melbourne.

"And it's time the prime minister put Australia's national
interest on trade policy ahead of his personal prejudices," he
said.

A spokesman for Howard said the claims were "a dishonest slur
from a desperate opposition willing to say anything to attract
attention."

"It was not worthy of further comment," the spokesman said on
usual condition of anonymity.

When his conservative coalition won power in 1996 Howard said
the previous Labor government had been too preoccupied with Asia
and that foreign policy had to be tilted back toward traditional
allies like the United States and Britain.

Emerson said Howard had an "obsession" with striking a free
trade deal with the United States that would discriminate against
trading partners in East Asia, such as China and Japan. The
government was also trying to exploit fear of terrorism in Asia
for political purposes, he said.

"By turning its face to the United States and its back to
Asia, the government seeks to secure the support of the
Australian people at the next election in a world wracked by
fear," Emerson said.

Howard has been criticized at home by opposition parties for
his strong support of U.S. President George W. Bush's hardline
position against Iraq. Howard has refused to rule out committing
troops to a possible U.S. war in Iraq, even without United
Nations backing.