Electioneering at what expense?
August 1st, 2007
I had a ‘gut-feeling’ about the Mohamed Haneef case at a fairly early point that something wasn’t adding up. I wasn’t sure, and wasn’t even able to articulate why I felt that Mr Haneef seemed to be getting a raw deal. And I still can’t. It just smelt fishy to me.
But in a turn of events that seems to vindicate my completely inexplicable and unscientific method of opinion forming, it seems as though the poor bloke really was getting the rough end of the pineapple. Apparently, prior to his arrest and detention here in Australia, he made efforts to contact British police, in what could only be an attempt to assist with their inquiries. Hardly the actions of a terrorist in my opinion.
One scandal surrounds Mr Haneef’s unjust detention and subsequent cancellation of his working visa. However, the other scandal that has reared its head is the way this has been used as a political device in an election year. Various politicians, of all stripes, and in both the state and federal arena’s have used this situation to score political points, and to push various ‘ideological’ carts. In particular, the Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews has inserted himself into a police matter, and made what was a criminal investigation a political campaign. I have little doubt that if the police had been able to do their job without political interference, this would have been resolved correctly, and quickly. Mr Haneef certainly had questions to answer, but the way his rights were trampled on is a shame, and it makes me wonder just how safe are the rights the rest of us Australians take for granted?