Rule of law?Australia's Prime Minister, John Howard, calls Australia a great democracy (1) and claims it is committed to the rule of law. (2) People everywhere recognise that, in a great democracy, committed to the rule of law, no one is above the law. John Howard's Workplace Relations minister, Tony Abbot, said it himself in parliament on June 17, 2003: "No one is above the law. This government is totally committed to the rule of law." (3) John Howard summarised the concept of the rule of law perfectly when he said "But the reality is that law and order depends for its respect on an even application and that means everybody should be entitled to the same protection, but equally those who break the law should expect the same measure of response from the police." (4) We must ask ourselves, then, why is John Howard so committed to destroying the foundations of our democracy and protecting himself from the law? Why did he go so far as to push through legislation exempting himself from arrest in the Criminal Code Act in 2002? (5) Equally, if we truly believe in our democracy and the principals it stands for, it is up to us to demand that our Prime minister be subjected to the same laws that apply to each of us. To do otherwise would be to forfeit our right to call ourselves democratic. John Howard has defied both international and Australian law and must face justice. References(1) - John Howard's Address at Hindmarsh Community Morning Tea - July 7, 2004http://www.pm.gov.au/news/speeches/speech974.html (2) - John Howard's Letter to the Editor "Enemies of open society will not prevail" - The Australian - September 11, 2003 http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,7227945%255E23110,00.html (3) - House of Representatives Official Hansard - June 17, 2003 http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/reps/dailys/dr170603.pdf (4) - A doorstop interview in Victoria with John Howard - Feb. 24, 2004 http://www.pm.gov.au/news/interviews/Interview707.html (5) - Criminal Code Act 1995 - SECT 80.1 Treason http://scaleplus.law.gov.au/html/pasteact/1/686/0/PA001590.htm |
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