19/11/2020
General Angus Campbell has apologised unreservedly to the Afghan people who were “unlawfully killed” and in some cases tortured before the killing. He talked extensively about the inappropriate culture of elitism and other related issues.
The one aspect of culture that General Campbell did not address was the fact that in Australia, we have developed a significant culture of white supremacy and race hate. I am led to wonder whether these acts of bastardry would have occurred in a “White Anglo” war. The Australian armed forces are simply microcosms of the wider Australian society. When the existence of this society is predicated on the methodical destruction of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, it would be a given that the microcosms will reflect the values and culture of the wider community. And so it has been proven in Afghanistan.
Until such time as our Forces hierarchy address the “elephant in the room” and our society understands that “Black Lives Matter” this will continue to be a failing of our societal structures. Our society has been built on an Anglo-Celtic paradigm when the make-up of the society is far from that.
Sincerely
Suresh Rajan
0403 276 960