Racism plagues Australia

Prime Minister John Howard of Australia is making it awfully tough on himself. Taking the opportunity in parliament yesterday to address the recent rise in racist sentiment, Mr. Howard attacked the Asian media instead.

At a time when he could have upbraided his anti-Asian colleagues, he turned his oratorical guns on Asians. Rather than get to the heart of the matter -- the bashing of Asia and Asians in Australia -- he took aim at his critics.

This may have been Mr. Howard's defining moment in his government's relations with Asia.

His somewhat rambling, occasionally pandering and relentlessly defensive attack on his critics cannot succeed in deflecting suspicions of Mr. Howard's own motives.

"I have never been reluctant to repudiate racism," he said. "I will never be reluctant to repudiate racism." And then he refused to repudiate it, or to separate himself from those advocating racism.

He maintained that recent comments in this newspaper and others on the Australian race debate were "written in ignorance" of Australian government policy.

The prime minister said he had denounced intolerance in recent weeks. It is "absolutely wrong" to suggest he supports discrimination against Asian-Australians. Australians of Asian decent have made tremendous contributions to the country, and he will continue to praise them.

How embarrassing. Listeners must have been waiting expectantly for him to say some of his best friends were Asian. It seems to be the only cliche and cringing defense he forgot.

By letting Ms. Hanson's outrageous comments pass without criticism yet again yesterday, Mr. Howard has dug himself deeply into a serious predicament. His speech to parliament only raises the concern higher.

What we fear is that Mr. Howard truly believes his pandering remarks about the contributions of Asian-Australians are a defense against racism.

His aim against critics is as low as his refusal to denounce racists. With his rambling speech to parliament, Mr. Howard has shot himself in the foot.

-- The Bangkok Post