As a former Malaysian living in Australia, I think both Guido Tresoldi Embarrassed by Howard and Agitator Dr M a greater embarrassment are correct.



Having had experiences of both Australian premier John Howard and Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, I am of the opinion that Howard is a 1950s man. He was against Asian migration and (I'm sure) still cannot accept multi-culturism and would be far more comfortable with a 'white Australia' that looks to motherland England.


Unfortunately, Australia has moved on despite a population of older or less informed Australians sympathetic to Howard (or Pauline Hanson remember her?). Howard, as Tresoldi says, plays to the uninformed voters (and there are a lot of them here). Howard had undone a lot of good work by previous prime ministers in shaping a more caring, compassionate Australia, able to take the high moral ground in human rights issues.


Australia has been most successful in integrating migrants from all over the world and has laws that ban discrimination of any sort. This can be done despite opposition from conservative quarters because there was leadership with a vision from people like Gough Whitlam and Paul Keating.


Unfortunately, all these can be lost by Howard who sees only elections and how to ingratiate himself with President George W Bush. His short-sighted domestic policy will see the present harmony among races and cultures suffer and Australia the worse for it. His ill-advised foreign policies will isolate Australia from her immediate neighbours, jeopardise trade with Muslim countries and worse, expose Australians to terrorist attacks.


As for Mahathir, he is all that Agitator mentioned. He keeps harping on "Asian values" when criticised by the West as if corruption, nepotism, arrogance and ill manners are Asian values. He accuses Australians of ill treating their aboriginal population in which century is he living? If Mahathir had treated his non-bumiputera population like Australians treat the aboriginal inhabitants they'd be laughing and not be forced to migrate to countries like Australia.