Malaysia - Singapore : A Racial Casualty

Whatever else may be said about the withdrawal of Singapore from the Malaysian Federation the basis of the disagreement between the two states stems from the racial antagonism between the Chinese and the Malays. That such antagonism took precedence over the more important issue of a united front against Communist aggression is the tragedy of the situation. Dr. Sukarno of Indonesia now sees in Mr. Lee Kuan Yew and his Peoples Action Party a possible ally against the rest of the Malaysian Federation. Undoubtedly the strong Chinese Communist influence in Singapore will exploit to the full the changed situation. Lee Kuan Yew who from being a Communist turned to fighting them, may now find it politically expedient to look more favourably on the Communists.

Australia and the rest of the Commonwealth must offset this possibility by giving firm assurances to both Singapore and Malaysia of continued support and defence against Communist aggression. In this regard the pledge given by Sir Robert Menzies on behalf of Australia to "continue to defend" is most welcome.

With Singapore now a sovereign state within the Commonwealth, both political and racial rivalry should ease, and co-operation on a basis of mutual respect and opposition to Communist aggression should be possible. The big question mark is Mr. Lee Kuan Yew's politics. It is to be hoped that those who continue to advocate a breakdown of Australia's traditional Restricted Immigration Policy take note that racial antagonism is the main factor in this disruption of the Malaysian Federation.

Lord Casey and Socialism

The Australian August 10th reported Lord Casey as saying "Socialism was not a bad thing for Asia." He went on to add, "I am not sure that if I was in their position I would not be a socialist too." However he went on to qualify this statement by saying he was not a socialist in Australia because there were the finance, means and savings here to create industries at will.

To compare Socialism with free enterprise is to compare two opposites. Socialism sees society as something to be manipulated by the administrators who not only decide what is good for society but also arrogate to itself the right to organise to this end. This is monopoly backed by force. Initiative and responsibility are foreign to the purpose of Socialism. To decide what the individual wants and then attempt to administer that need is an extremely limited method of progress lacking flexibility. If the Asians and Africans are to obtain increased benefits from social organisation they will progress to the degree that each individual learns to help himself. He will then seek to help others through supplying a service in return for adequate compensation. This is true of all races, white, yellow or black.

The basis of any successful economy is agriculture. Has agriculture progressed or even maintained stability in those countries, which once had western colonial administration? Reports reaching us indicate they are slipping back. Pumping in aid alone will not solve the problem. To socialise is the first step towards Communism. It is to be hoped that when he becomes Governor General, Lord Casey will not use his high office to impart this type of advice.

Intelligence and the Labour Party

The recent Labour conference featured a call by Mr. Gough Whitlam, the Fabian Socialist Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, he said, "This party needs intellectuals and intellectuals need this party." Melbourne Age 5.8.65.

We have no doubt there is a great need for intelligence in the Labour Party, which is completely missing under the present leadership. To equate the intelligence supplied by Mr. Whitlam, Mr. Cairns and others with integrity, which must complement intellectual ability, is in our opinion impossible in the rigid party structure of which Mr. Whitlam is a member. To further impute that the Labour Party is the only organisation offering political intellectualism is snobbery of the worst kind.

President Kennedy and Arthur Schlesinger

The Melbourne "Age" is currently running excerpts from the book "A Thousand Days" by Arthur Schlesinger Jnr. Mr. Schlesinger was one of the bright intellectuals of the type Mr. Whitlam wants in the Australian Labour Party. Mr. Schlesinger became during the Kennedy administration one of the President's most favoured confidants and advisers. It becomes clear from reading Schlesinger's account of the Cuban tragedy and the Bay of Pigs disaster that President Kennedy was under tremendous pressure from his advisers. The main content of that advice was that the whole venture was a disaster, that Castro was a popular figure and that support of an invasion by Cuban patriots was an immoral act. The articles in the "Age" are presented as coming from an American detached from the events and able to give an impartial assessment.

Arthur Schlesinger Jnr. has never been impartial on the question of American commitment to the advance of world socialism. As a Fabian who was also a Harvard Professor, John Stormer in his book None Dare Call It Treason quotes remarks by Schlesinger from the Congressional Record of February 6th 1962.
"If socialism (i.e. ownership by the state of all significant means of production) is to preserve democracy it must be brought about step by step in a way which will not disrupt the fabric of custom, law and mutual confidence upon which personal rights depend..."
The step-by-step technique is the classic law of Fabianism "the inevitability of gradualism."

Castro of course was a Communist who used the direct methods of Communism. It is a short step from socialism to communism, and Schlesinger had earlier declared his lack of moral basis. Talking of American liberalism, he said that liberalism .... "dispensed with absurd Christian myths of sin and damnation and believed that what shortcomings man might have were to be redeemed, not by Jesus on the cross, but by the benevolent unfolding of history..." (From an article in Partisan Review in 1947).
Again "benevolent unfolding of history is classical Marxist teaching. It is apparent that President Kennedy in surrounding himself with fellow graduates from the seat of Fabian Socialism in America - Harvard University, had committed himself to the Liberal Socialist platform, and the success of Fidel Castro was part of that platform.

The Viet Cong are not Unconquerable

There have been two interesting cables in the last few weeks, which indicate that the situation in Vietnam could change against the Communists. The first cable on the 24th July reported that the Viet Cong now only stay in the one-place twenty-four hours rather than five to six days. Prisoners taken reported that they tired of the "continual marching".
The second report was of an open appeal to North Vietnam for military reinforcements. The appeal was made by the Central Committee of the South Vietnam National Liberation Front, the political arm of the Viet Cong.

If American military strength forces the issue the Communists will undoubtedly endeavour to arrange another Korean type armistice. Australians should insist through their political representatives that no such armistice be accepted. Only complete victory over the Communists will stop them from using the same tactics elsewhere.

Japan & Vietnam

War cannot be divorced from economics. There are indications that Japan is finding the Vietnamese war helpful in solving their economic problems. Japan's Prime Minister, Mr. Eisaku Sato in a report from A.A.P. in the Melbourne Herald commented upon American bombing of North Vietnam from Okinawa, which the Japanese look upon as their territory.
"The U.S. action of course, was unfavorable in view of the Japanese public sentiment. Personally I am not convinced of the U.S. action."

Peter Temm in the Melbourne Age quoted a Japanese businessman,
"We are counting on the situation in Vietnam becoming another Korea."

According to Temm he was voicing the feeling of numerous manufacturers and industrialists throughout Japan. It is time the Western economists pointed the way to solving the problems of overproduction without making businessmen thankful when war relieves them of the problem.