SOVIET PENETRATION OF SOUTH-EAST ASIA

"The flag of the Soviet Union has never loomed larger over anti-Communist Malaysia than it did this month for Russia's biggest show in south Asia. " - Max Vanzi from Kuala Lumpur in The Herald, Melbourne, October 30.

It is time for Australians and New Zealanders to have a hard look at the increasing rate of the Soviet drive into South-East Asia. It is only 17 months since the Soviet established itself diplomatically in Kuala Lumpur. For the first 11 of its 12 years of independence Malaysia had no contact whatever with Communist countries. The Soviet's "First Trade and Industrial Exhibit" was the biggest trade fair the Russians have yet presented in South-East Asia. It is generally agreed that it has been extremely successful - from the Soviet 's point of view in opening the fair, deputy Foreign Trade Minister Michail Kumin insisted that the motive for the fair was purely trade. Those who understand Communism know differently.
Trade and economics are essential features of the type of war being waged by the Marxist Leninists.

20 per cent of Malaysia's rubber and much of its tin is being bought by the Soviet Union. For approximately a decade now there has been an increasing flow of Malaysian production to the Soviet Union and very little Soviet production to Malaysia. The Soviet is now shrewdly suggesting that the time has come to correct the imbalance. It is significant that most of the equipment on display at the Trade Fair could only be obtained by government purchases. There is no need for a Trade Fair to sell to the Malaysian Government. It is clear therefore that the main purpose of the Fair is political.

While stepping up its trading activities in South-East Asia, the Soviet is also increasing the intensity of its diplomatic offensive, trailing the carrot of "collective security". While the U.S.A. and its allies are being bled in the no win war in Vietnam, while experiencing increasing anti-Vietnam demonstrations domestically, the Soviet is making major gains. The dramatic change towards Communism in Asia is dramatised by the statement by President Marcos of the Philippines that if elected at the coming elections he will consider the possibility of legalising the Communist Party if it renounces violently. It is a tribute to the effectiveness of Communist propaganda that in spite of acts of blatant aggression in Czechoslovakia and elsewhere, the Soviet's image has been steadily improving.
The need was never greater for anti-Communist campaigners to intensify their efforts.

CONVULSION INSIDE LIBERAL PARTY

"The Minister for National Development, Mr. Fairbairn, yesterday destroyed the prospect of the Liberal Party reuniting peacefully under the leadership of Mr. Gorton when he announced he would not serve as a minister in any future government headed by the Prime Minister." - The Australian, October 31.

Unfortunately the convulsion inside the Liberal Party is primarily concerned with personalities and not with policies. No change of leadership, now or in the future, can save the Coalition while it pursues current policies. Prime Minister Gorton is now living on borrowed time. Even many of Liberal Party Members supporting him are only doing so because they feel they have no other alternative at present. Is there one Government Member at Canberra prepared to come out openly to draw attention to the fact that what the Government must do is to make an honest attempt to implement the underlying principles enunciated before 1949?
The whole Federal system is being destroyed while politicians at Canberra compete for power and place. If there is no relief for the States next year, then the Government will certainly lose the Senate Elections.

DESTROYING THE STATES

"Queensland was becoming more a 'branch office State' with diminishing control of its own destiny, the retiring president of the Queensland Chamber of Manufacturers (Mr. A.S. Gehrmann) said last night. Mr. Gehrmann…said this resulted from a trend away from federation towards centralism." - The Courier - Mail, Brisbane, October 29.

Irrespective of the label on the politicians, the centralisation of power always produces the same disastrous results. The more far-sighted Socialists have always maintained that once power was centralised, no Government would de-centralise it. "You cannot unscramble the broken eggs."

Before the 1949 Federal Elections there was real concern amongst Liberal and Country Party Members about the advance to Socialism. But most of the Government Members at Canberra are now much more interested in the plums of office than they are in handing power back to the people. In his press conference at Canberra on October 17, Mr. John Gorton clearly revealed once again his centralist - i.e. Socialist - philosophy with his approving reference to "economics management" by the Federal Government.

The salvation of Australia depends to a great extent upon whether Canberra can be stripped of the excessive powers it has arrogated to itself. Mr. Gehrmann correctly observed in his address that a common policy on matters external to Australia is essential but in matters it is not necessary. It can lead to lack of enterprise and mediocrity. Mr. Gehrmann also said that if the States were to preserve their autonomy and survive as governing bodies, they must get a more substantial proportion of their revenue.
It is to be hoped that other Australian business leaders follow Mr. Gehrmann's lead.

REVOLT AGAINST NATIONAL SERVICE ACT

"About 2000 known 20 year-olds were refusing to comply with national service, the A.L.P. Member for Wills (Mr. Gordon Bryant) said yesterday. All 200 faced possible goal sentences by the end of the year, he said." - The Age, October 31.

The Government's passive support of the American no-win policy in Vietnam is producing a backlash which could have far reaching social as well as political results in Australia. We support the basic principle of national service, primarily to ensure that every able-bodied man at least has a basic understanding of how to help defend militarily the society of which he is a member. But individuals only support legislation when the Government pursues policies which make sense and are adequately explained.
The Communists and their dupes are shrewdly exploiting large numbers of young Australians who have been failed by their elders.

Unless the Government takes a firm stand before long it could have thousands of young Australians refusing to register for national service. It would then become physically impossible to put them all in goal for two years.

FINANCIAL FUND LAGGING

WEST GERMANY MOVES TOWARDS COMMUNISTS

"The new West German Chancellor Mr. Brandt won his first parliamentary test vote yesterday with a comfortable 23 vote margin...the former Chancellor Dr. Kiesenger, making his first appearance as leader of the Opposition, said that Mr. Brandt's avowed aim of seeking contractual relations with communist East Germany, inevitably will one day lead to the landslide we fought against for the past 20 years." - The Australian, October 31.

The weakening of West German will to withstand long term Soviet strategy stems, to a very great extent, from the shock of the Soviet thrust into Czechoslovakia last year, demonstrating in the starkest manner the apparent inability of the NATO nations to meet the situation. The Soviet thrust shifted the balance of power in Western Europe and had a major impact in West Germany. Brandt's policy of moving towards closer relations with both East Germany and the Soviet Union is the outcome. West Germany is being drawn closer to both the Soviet Union and Red China through massive exports to both Communist powers.

CRICKETERS IGNORE LIBERAL CATHOLIC PRIEST'S APPEAL

"A NSW Catholic priest, Father R. Buchhorn of Narrabri, last week appealed to the Australian cricketers to cancel their tour of South Africa Father Buchhorn's appeal apparently fell on deaf ears." - The Communist weekly Tribune October 22.

Father Buchhorn is associated with CARIS (Campaign Against Racialism in Sport) and has been a strong critic of The Australian League of Rights. Father Buchhorn is one of those many Christian dupes who unconsciously lend their support to so many Communist tactics. It is significant than the Father Buchhorns do not appear to demonstrate against sport with the Soviet.

It is pleasing to report that the manager of the Australian cricket team, Mr. Bennett, said: "We are going to play cricket and that is all we are concerned with. On the last tour there was no trouble and we don't expect any this time.

Tribune had to admit that a number of the cricketers interviewed on TV at the practice nets before leaving for overseas, "didn't reveal any qualms about the fact that they were to play in South Africa. But Tribune urges Father Buchhorn "and other campaigners" not to "lose heart over their recent campaign." An old Communist tactic states: "Let our friends do the work."

THOUGHTS ON VOTING REFORMS

"Whether or not Australia needs to change its electoral system it would certainly benefit from some mind-searching. Why are we the almost only Parliamentary democracy in the world to have preference voting?" - Douglas Wilkie in The Sun, Melbourne, Oct. 21.

It is not often that we can quote Mr. Wilkie with approval, but we could not agree more with his contention that Australians would do well to look objectively at its electoral system. But we doubt whether Mr. Wilkie would agree with our view that no changes in the present electoral system would produce any more responsible government unless these changes were in the direction of more responsible voting. There is no particular virtue in people putting marks on pieces of paper when this procedure has little effect upon the use of power. Even in Communist countries voting takes place - admittedly under carefully controlled conditions. But then this is exactly what is happening in the "democracies."

An electoral mandate is used to justify the use of more centralised power against the individual. Presumably the more people the better the mandate. Mr. Gorton says that he hopes that the voting age will be reduced to 18 before the next Federal Elections. Can anyone advance a rational reason why the voting age should be reduced? It is extremely shallow thinking to argue that the 18 year-old of today is better informed than his father was at 21. Large numbers of boys of 15 today would know a lot about motorcars. Lord Acton never saw a motorcar in his life. But he had something, which to most people only comes with age and experience, wisdom.
As far as we know, Australia and Belgium are the only two Western democracies with compulsory voting. Is there any evidence that other democracies have worse governments than Australia and Belgium?

It is often claimed that the vote is a most prized right. A test could easily be conducted as to how much the individual valued the political vote by making a small charge of, say, only 50 cents, for the right to vote. How many would think the vote worth 50 cents? Advocate of proportional representation often write letters to the press, which suggest that their system produces better government. Where is the evidence? By their fruits ye shall know them. Proportional representation produced Hitler! This
is not to say that PR does not, under some circumstances, have some merits. It has, for example, tended to produce a division of power in the Australian Senate. But if the Senate were carrying out its original purposes as conceived by the farmers of the Federal Constitution, it would not be a rubber stamp for the parties, but would be a House of Review protecting the rights of the States and Municipal Government.

It is an axiom that if democracy means self-governments the only effective democracy can be in decentralised government close to the people. Government is directly related to the problem of how to prevent power being used against the individual. With increasing centralisation of power by the Federal Government, it is a manifest absurdity that over 6 million Australian electors can use their votes to get what they want through the central government. They all have different problems. Why should Federal candidates be concerned about questions like suburban roads? If they confined themselves to genuinely national matters like defence and foreign policy, perhaps they would be much better informed.

One final thought: A test is required for every person before he or she can drive a motorcar. Why not some test before a vote is given?
Authorised by Eric D, Butler, 273 Lt. Collins Street, Melbourne.

ON TARGET BULLETIN

SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSlON
Responsible Political Voting

Following every governmental election there is the usual post-mortem. But comparatively little attention is directed towards an examination of the voting system itself. In this weeks On Target reference is made to this question.

Means have become perverted into ends and some of Christianity's most eminent theologians have pointed out that this is a major sin. The purpose of voting is NOT to permit governments to exercise unlimited power over people. If voting is to be of any real use it must be a means whereby the individual can limit the power of governments over him. If this is not possible then the act of voting merely serves to confirm the view of the members of the winning government that they have a mandate to use power as they see fit.
Modern governments have far too much power and unless they can be checked and stripped of some of this power, they are going to go on increasing their powers - at the expense of the individual.

The essence of the problem facing the individual as the whole world moves further towards totalitarianism is how to use the limited power he still possesses to reverse what is happening. This means than he must use his political vote in a responsible manner. For a start he must be prepared to "stand up and be counted". Actionists can do this immediately by doing what we have already suggested. Write to their successful representative telling him how he voted and why. They should then ask does he agree with Mr. John Gorton's suggestion that the voting age should be reduced to 18 years of age, and if he does, can he explain just how this is likely to produce better government.

If compulsory voting is to be retained in Australia, should not provision be made for the responsible elector who does not wish to give preferences to any of the offering candidates so that he can record this decision?
Merely making his vote informal does not achieve this purpose and is an irresponsible act. If he clearly identifies himself as unwilling to give preferences to any candidate, he can have legal action taken against him.

Should there not he a provision on the ballot paper for those who wish to reject all candidates, to indicate this responsibly?
All those ballot papers marked in this way should be openly recorded. If for example, 15 per cent of the electors consciously rejected all candidates, then the winning candidate could not make the claim that he had a clear mandate from the electorate.

A recorded vote of rejection of all candidates would at least have a tendency to produce better government i.e. government which is conscious of the fact that it is highly suspect. A small minority of voters acting responsibly can in many circumstances have a major effect on ensuring that power is balanced to the point where the ordinary individual obtains some protection.

We ask all League actionists to provide us with their thinking and any suggestions on this most vital question.
The League proposes to give it increasing attention.