But back to the locals, who are the neglected lot in this sordid tale. It turns out, the brothel idea may be a kind of control valve to help contain some 'hyper-active refugees'. Because there has been a pregnancy problem in the community; refugees hooking up with local women and having kids together. When father refugees are removed from PNG, they leave behind women who will bear children who will be seen as second-class citizens in the local patrilineal culture. In effect, the refugee fathers could leave these women -- and children -- homeless. That takes awhile to settle in.
Further, children of these mixed-couple liaisons are eligible, under Aussie rules, for medevac care, meaning they could be flown to Australia for medical treatment. And, strangely enough, now that Scott Morrison is the Prime Minister (and the architect of the offshore-processing solution), pregnant Manusians with complications could be flown to Australia and a baby delivered there would become Australians on birth. That is, one could argue so: Morrison is a born-again Christian who believes in personhood on conception. Boochani couldn't get into Australia, but he might have potentially wreaked his revenge by knocking up a local girl and who might have given birth to a -- citizen -- in Australia. Named, let's say, Behrouz.
The Manusians have no say on these state-to-state issues: Australian politicians meet with PNG politicians, talk cash payments, and essentially set the agenda for things that will happen on Manus Island (and elsewhere in PNG). Now that Americans have decided to challenge the Chinese in the region in a war of doctrines, Project for a New American Century (see John Bolton) versus the Asian Century, a new naval base will be needed -- on Manus Island -- to stop the spread of the Red Menace in the South Pacific, the Commies tweaking the noses of the Cappies. The base will cost billions of dollars. Those brothels -- er, massage parlors -- will come in handy.
Then you learn that Manus Island is to be declared a Tax-Free Haven. More money pouring into Manus Island. The locals living on short pay, like servants looking for tips. Or as The Big Smoke has it, "To prove that irony is dead, and perhaps pointing to the fact that we're living in a dystopia, the Papuan government has this morning announced that Manus Island is set to become a corporate tax-free zone." Again, no local input.
Yup. Now Titus is writing one last thing on the stall wall: manus manum lavat (one hand washes the other). This is the way it has always been with money -- all the way up to Mr. Sh*t and beyond. The crocodile released back into the wilds of the world. Slide trombone. And flush with cash.
(*Note: Behrouz Boochani has now been relocated to New Zealand, and technically is still stateless, but rich. He could probably buy citizenship in any number of countries, probably even Oz, if he hadn't arrived by boat. But then there's a-been no book and no riches, Never mind. It's that kind of world Down Under.)
(Article changed on August 30, 2020 at 04:19)
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