Howard tries Tampa Dogwhistle round over W. Papua

Howard tries another Tampa Dogwhistle round over West Papua

"The fact that the Australian Prime Minister John Howard stated yesterday that he doesn't want more West Papuans, and that he had the audacity to suggest that 'the majority of Australians' have that view shows he once again tries to introduce dirty population seduction and dog-whistle politics into the mix, and the Prime Minister should be condemned because of it," says WA Rights group Project SafeCom this morning.

"In addition, his disgraceful manipulation of historical facts by suggesting that West Papuans already by referendum chose to be integrated with Indonesia - referring to the Act of Free Choice referendum in 1969 - and suggestively stating that this referendum was supervised by the United Nations, as if that is where the facts and the truth ends, disgraces him."

"The Prime Minister is well-known for his selective and populist use of 'facts', and while he would be well aware of the widely published review and research into the stacking of Indonesia of the "Act of No Choice" as it is known amongst West Papuans, he once again has embarked on strategic cow-towing to Indonesian interests."

The Prime Minister once again shows that he is weak-willed, and that, when driven into a corner of choice where he should instead be talking about Indonesian human rights abuses, he rather resorts to manipulations and populist re-writing of history. He should stand condemned for it."

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