““Many dangerous youths would normally yell and scream at us “we do not need you RAMSI, go home”.
Mr Onisimo said there is a failure to regain the trust and confidence of people due to the policing style of the PPF.
“They could have done better if they restructure their approach after law and order was restored, purposely to regain the trust and confidence of people.”
He said during his one-year term with RAMSI, he introduced his country’s style of policing which his Australian bosses did not allow.
“I pleaded for them to allow me to do what I know will work for people.
“That was when I started the Fijian policing model that focuses mainly on avoiding crime and back at home we call it Outreach Awareness Policing.
“We do not focus on crime but more on avoiding crime””
The above is quoted from an article which appeared in the Solomon Star on Monday October 10, 2011. The article relates to a broadside fired at RAMSI by a Participating Police Force (“PPF”) Fijian officer Onisimo Natabale Lubi who said RAMSI failed to permanently seal off core loopholes in policing in the Solomon Islands (“SI”). Mr Lubi seems to lay the blame for this failure squarely at the feet of his Australian bosses.
What Mr Lubi’s comments prove is that Blak and Black is not the only voice ‘crying out in the wilderness’ about the failures of RAMSI, which failures must in turn bring into question the actual motivation behind Australia’s decision to ‘invade’ the SI in the first place.
As Black and Black has been arguing now for over a year, far from being altruistic, Australia’s decision to ‘invade’ the SI was based on the neo-colonial principles of self-interest, greed and racism. In order to maintain the façade of altruism, the popular media has unleashed an unremitting stream of drivel about Australia’s efforts to support the developing nations of the Pacific Region and to stamp out corruption wherever it raises its ugly head. Except in Australia, that is!
The reality is much more prosaic. Australia became involved in the internal affairs of the SI in the wake of 9/11 amidst a growing campaign by the United States Military-Industrial complex to unleash a ‘war of terror’ euphemistically known as the ‘war on terror’ to justify the squandering of even more of the world’s treasure on the artifices of war. To date all this has achieved is the deaths of countless civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, not to mention multitudes of dead and militated coalition troops and the economic disaster for the developed world ushered in by this euphemistical ‘war on terror’.
In my post In Praise of Nostos I briefly discussed the changing nature of arête in the Homeric World as that civilization passed from a state of war to a state of peace. Creating an environment in which virtues other that martial could be recognised and indeed flourish. An environment in which nostos, or ‘homecoming,’ the reintegration of home and society, which war disrupts and destroys could be celebrated. More importantly the Odyssey places at the centre of its story the polytropos man, the multifaceted man, a man who is at his absolute best in speaking and in thinking. Not so the men and women of the Military-Industrial complex, who can think of nothing more that the profits and bonuses that will flow to them via increased government expenditure necessitated by the prosecution of the euphemistical ‘war on terror’. Who wins out of this increased expenditure? Not the taxpayer, not the poor, or the sick or the otherwise disadvantaged, and certainly not the peoples of the lands invaded. Recent history has shown that it’s not even the economies of the nation’s prosecuting the euphemistical ‘war on terror’, it’s only the executives of the companies that form part of the Military-Industrial complex. The possible exception to this might be the various politicians and public servants who are corrupted via bribes paid by certain military focused corporations to assist in contract ‘negotiations’.
In fact this euphemistical ‘war on terror’ has achieved little more than to shift the West’s focus from nostos to self, a self, dominated by an insatiable greed for other peoples resources, the resources necessary to feed the self-interest of the middle classes of the Western Democracies in order to distract them from the very injustices that are being perpetrated in their name.
In the case of Australia the Military-Industrial Complex hiding behind the façade of the euphemistical ‘war on terror’ has cast greedy and unsated eyes towards our near neighbours, including PNG, the SI and Timor-Leste. Pity those who have spoken out against or attempt in other ways to impede this juggernaut of greed.
One such person, a modern polytropos man is the former Attorney-General of the SI, Mr Julian Moti QC. Moti spoke out against Australia’s juggernaut of greed to the people of the Pacific. He spoke loudly and clearly about indigenous rights, about alternative futures, about self-determination, sovereign rights and basic human dignity. About indigenous peoples rights to their language, their culture and their resources. The price of standing for nostos over greed as Moti has found is high. The price is your very life’s work, once the juggernaut of greed has you in its sights no defamation, no slander or innuendo is to great. You lose the right not only to your freedom, but to your character, your wealth in fact you lose your right to your very being. This is known as justice to the juggernaut of greed. A justice that ensures the survival of the wealthy at the expense of the poor, a justice that in the final analysis must be self-destructive.
What Officer Lubi has highlighted in his outgoing broadside at RAMSI is the lie that is Australia. Australia is dominated by its own Military-Industrial juggernaut of greed, a juggernaut that will destroy all that stands in the path of its own existence. This has nothing to do with justice or the ‘rule of law’ it’s about wealthy societies leaching the life blood from indigenous societies in order to maintain the façade of Western cultural and moral supremacy.
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Clearly there is somthing wrong with the way RAMSI is operating. You just can’t uproot something that works for one society and implant it in athoter. It does not work. RAMSI’s attitude to the Solomons reeks of white supremacy.
You’re right Tom, its racism in the extreame to think that works for a Western Society will cork in another society with a different culture. RAMSI was poorly conceived and is badly run.
Miriam yest thats right on both counts. RAMSI really needs to be under the leadership and control of the UN not Australia.
It’s just another example of Australia avoiding accountability for it’s actions. If the UN is not there who is Australia accountable to? The AFP have already hidden behind the RAMSI treaty recently which just goes to show that in the Pacific the AFP are above the law.
Bill, that is another issue that needs to be addressed. RAMSI is totally unaccountable for its actions.
The issue of RAMSI accountability needs to be addressed. How can a foreign police force go into another country and not be accountable for its actions. Invasion is the usual word for it.
Invasion – it certainly sounds like the word. What does Australia call it? A helping hand, or something! Call it what it is – invasion.
Has Moti really adopted that position with indigenous culture? If so, it will be interesting to see what happens if he gets off.
Bill I believe that Moti is genuine when he speaks of indigenous rights. The problem with him or for him is that Australia really has an issue with indigenous rights, in fact Australia continually says no to indigenous rights. It will be interesting to see what happens if he as you say “gets off”.
We’ll see what happens, eventually. I hope Moti is what he claims to be. As for RAMSI the UN needs to step in and hold it accountable for its actions.
Yes Tamara RAMSI accountability is a festering sore affecting the people of the Solomons and it needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.
Accountability and Australia, what a joke!
Or should I say lie instead of joke?
Tom Australia wnether its the AFP, RAMSI or some other agency is incapable of accepting responsibility for its actions. There is a lot of talk about accountability and corruption in Oz, but the Oz Government should take a long hard look in the mirror before its starts pointing the finger at others. May All’ah will be merciful to the victims of Australian lies and corruption.
One thing is certain, Australia accepts no accountability for any of its actions. Why then should we expect RAMSI or the AFP or the public service to do otherwise?
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