Read this Sydney Morning Herald article by Peter Hartcher, titled ‘Australia now on trial’.
Some extracts:
“The populist hysteria over Corby's sentencing, which looked like a simple case of the media indulging wilful ignorance in pursuit of ratings, has turned into a serious national incident.”
What I have been saying all along.
"While the official Australian reaction to the sentencing of Corby has been sane and reasonable, it is the extremist reaction that will make the biggest impression in Jakarta.
Australia transformed its relationship with Indonesia with its swift, humane and generous response to the suffering of the country's tsunami victims. But the enormous goodwill Howard achieved will be thoroughly undermined by the hatred shown in the last few days.
Indonesians will be tempted to suspect that the true Australian attitude to their country is not one of support and goodwill but one contained in a packet of poison. The truth is it's both.
The violent mood swing in popular Australian attitudes to Indonesia, from sweetness in December to bitterness in June, does not mean that either is false.
Both are be genuinely held, but neither is guided by knowledge or comprehension.
The extreme mood change is only possible because of the lack of understanding and trust in the relationship. As former foreign minister Gareth Evans once observed, no two neighbours anywhere on earth are more different from each other.
This lack of the ballast of real knowledge means that relations can swing so skittishly, blown by the bluster of media populism.”
A sad situation of ‘Forget Helen, just destroy Troy’
Related posting:
The Schapelle Corby Story - Forget Helen, Just Destroy Troy
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