ABBOTT BUYS OFF PEOPLE SMUGGLERS? 

 

By Dino Cesta - 12 June 2015

OBELISK INSIGHT 

 

In responding to the Myanmar, South-East Asian refugee crisis last month, Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop stated it was the Government's national security priority to destroy the people smuggling trade, as it helped fund global terrorism, including the "Islamic State' (ISIS) .

 

On Friday, news filtered through that Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott refused to discount that the Government financially bribed people smugglers to turn back asylum-seeker boats heading toward Australian shores.

 

This revelation demonstrates the hypocrisy of the Abbott Government. The Government will seemingly pursue whatever immoral and potentially illegal actions to have the political ascendancy on the asylum-seekers issue, including participating in and negotiating with people traffickers, and as a consequence, help fund terrorism.  

 

What if an Australian citizen was held captive by the ISIS terrorist group, and a ransom was sought. Would the Prime Minister be willing to pay a ransom to save an Australian life, even if that means funding terrorism?

 

I suspect Abbott will be happy to pay 'people smugglers' to save his own political life, but not the life of a captured Australian citizen on the brink of beheading.

 

The Prime Minister's and the Government's credibility lies in tatters.