Fraser slams Howard over fear politics

Australia: "Former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser has accused the Howard government of 'fear politics', damaging the Australian psyche and fuelling intolerance that could take decades to stamp out.

"Mr Fraser used his Commonwealth Lecture at the Australian National University to mount a scathing attack on Prime Minister John Howard.

"The former Liberal leader said there had been a concerted attack on Australian values and the rule of law since the arrival of the Tampa, carrying more than 400 refugees, shortly before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 on the US.

"The government had seized on those events to demonise refugees and stoke tensions in the community about Muslim migration.

"'From these points on, the politics of fear dominated the domestic environment,' Mr Fraser said.

"'What we do not know we often fear. What we do not understand we fear.

"'People from a different religion we often fear. And what we fear becomes a threat.

"'The politics of these issues was exploited by the government and has bitten deeply into the Australian psyche ...'"
The Age

Categories: australia, john+howard, refugees, islam