A new generation of girls has much to lose

August 17, 2021 â€" 12.03am

Illustration: Cathy WilcoxCredit:

To submit a letter to The Age, email letters@theage.com.au. Please include your home address and telephone number.AFGHANISTAN

A new generation of girls has much to lose
The tragedy and the speed of what is occurring in Afghanistan is almost beyond belief and your story (“It’s not withdrawal, it’s surrender”, World, 15/8) encapsulates the political, economic and social abyss that yet again will permeate the country.

Those Afghans who experienced the years of the first Taliban assault decades ago and experienced the extreme interpretation of Islamic law must be filled with dread.

A new generation of young women and girls, who did not experience the atrocities of the first Taliban assault, have much to lose and are likely to be the first targets. This was demonstrated in Kabul recently, when a bomb was detonated outside a girls school and many were killed.

Australia has a moral responsibility to quickly bring those who helped Australian personnel to safety here. Canada has set an example of accepting 20,000 Afghans to settle in Canada. We have a long way to go.
Judith Morrison, Mount Waverley

The people of Afghanistan have been abandoned
“No Australian who has ever fallen in our uniform has ever died in vain”, Scott Morrison says. Tell this to the families and friends of the 41 Australians killed in Afghanistan during the conflict and to the countless others who were wounded, both physically and mentally. “Freedom is always worth it,” he added, ignoring the mass executions of surrendering Afghan troops and civilians and the humanitarian disaster unfolding.

The government is still working to get the remaining Afghan nationals who had assisted Australian forces to safety â€" but too little too late, a view endorsed by Hadi Zaher, a member of Melbourne’s Hazara community, who writes “most will be left at the mercy of the Taliban” (“I shared fellow Afghans’ dreams â€" now in tatters”, Comment, 16/8).

The people of Afghanistan have been abandoned by the US and its allies, including Australia, a decision we will come to regret.
Neil Hudson, East Melbourne

A poignant account of what has been sacrificed
The article by Afghan Australian Hadi Zaher provided a tragically poignant account of what has been sacrificed in the unseemly haste by allied nations to exit Afghanistan.

His reference to the fall of the Oruzgan province capital, Tarin Kowt, to the Taliban should remind Australians of what was achieved, for a time, by our defence personnel and AusAID civilian project officers in that specific region. For example, the construction of schools increasing from 34 in 2006 to more than 200 in 2011; especially notable was the setting up of the Malalai Girls School in Tarin Kowt, a source of much pride to the locals.

Beyond providing security, our soldiers were effectively confronting the Taliban’s misogynistic and fundamentalist world view. Plausible arguments against “nation building” by Western nations now should not obscure what were, while they lasted, admirable and under-publicised grassroots initiatives.
Jon McMillan, Mount Eliza

We knew about the danger for months
I am appalled that the federal government has been so slow in rescuing interpreters and others who supported and helped our troops in Afghanistan. We have known about the impending danger for months and it was only when the Taliban were at the gates that the government scrambled to do something.

I cannot find adequate words to express my deep disgust and despair at the way this government has treated our mates.
Robin Lohrey, Howrah, Tas.

When will we come of age?
As with Vietnam and Iraq, Australia jumped into action when US urged us to join them in Afghanistan and walked out when they did.

Yet another military and moral disaster as we slavishly outsourced our national integrity and sovereignty to another nation.

When will we come of age?
Kevin Burke, Sandringham

THE FORUM

Stick together, separately
The lockdown restrictions on exercise in Victoria state: “You must limit your outdoor exercise to no more than two hours per day.” There seems to be no detailed specification on what exercise is, but everyone should know it doesn’t include going to the pub.

The “Walk, Talk, Sip” event organised in Richmond over the weekend was really an excuse to meet and have a few beers. Although it could be argued that bending your arm to drink might be an exercise, it is straight out cheating and actually a defiance of the rules.

We already have enough covidiots who doubt vaccines and masks and think the virus isn’t real and at the extreme end believe that the vaccine will make you so magnetic that it will be hard to stop the spread of the virus, especially the Delta version. When will common sense win?

Stay home and have a few beers in front of the TV or a Zoom session, or maybe actually go for a walk to burn off the beer calories.

This is one where we all have to stick together, separately.
Dennis Fitzgerald, Box Hill

Stop treating us like this
One of the many gaps highlighted during the pandemic has been the unbridgeable distance between what our governments are telling us and the professional scientific advice on which it’s supposed to be based.

This gap is most noticeable in two distinctly different but equally problematic areas: climate change and pandemic management. It’s reassuring to discover the depth of specialist expertise available, but profoundly depressing when such a precious resource is ignored or misused to score political advantage.

It’s bad enough fringe political players are spouting ill-informed rubbish; it’s worse when ministers deny the evidence or deliberately draw bogus conclusions they claim are based on the advice provided.

Somehow the message needs to get through that people are tired of being treated as mugs in the name of political expediency. We have a right to expect that our leaders will bridge the gap, heed the scientific advice and have the courage to base their decisions on the evidence.
Jenifer Nicholls, Armadale

I know who I prefer
During the pandemic, I would prefer a strong leader like Daniel Andrews, with an overreach across the public service and party colleagues (“Working the network”, Insight, 14/8) than an ineffectual public service and rogue politicians who compromise the Morrison and Berejiklian governments’ ability to make tough decisions.

All that matters, now, are the numbers: 478 NSW locally acquired infections versus 22 in Victoria. A strong leader in these times can’t afford the dithering we are seeing north of our border.

Let the voters decide at next year’s Victorian election what type of leader they prefer.
Rob Ware, Somers

Time for a rethink
Your two-page spread by Nick O’Malley and Peter Hannam (“Carbon’s dream squeeze”, Insight, 14/8) conveys the sort of information that is available to answer Barnaby Joyce’s question about the cost of transition to a clean economy. And then? Will the Nationals be swayed by the argument that continuing on the “business as usual” path will cost twice that and more in the long run?

Tim Flannery suggests political risk makes sane policy impossible. Perhaps it’s time for a rethink on how we are served by our political processes: On climate and energy policy, the urgency of the present need for sanity calls for science-based decisions free of politics.
John Gare, Kew East

Doing the right thing
Your story “Lockdown flouted as drinkers hit city streets” (16/8) included a photo of a large crowd out front of the Peacock Hotel in Northcote on Sunday.

I would hate to think the public was under the misapprehension that the hotel was open for trading, even for takeaways. It has been closed in accordance with government regulation.

My understanding is a local DJ was belting out beats from his High Street balcony. A combination of beautiful weather, a couple of bottle shops selling alcohol, lockdown fatigue and a complete lack of societal discipline created “the event”.

t would be a shame if the pub was deemed guilty by association when it was doing the right thing, unlike some others over the weekend, who seemed to encourage non-compliance with organised takeaway trade.
Marshall Toohey, Fairfield

The voters are responsible
Sean Kelly questions the responsibility of governments in the lives of ordinary people (“The politics of life and death”, Comment, 16/8).

Scott Morrison’s response to the devastating IPCC report is to gloss over the bad news and deflect attention, ignoring the fact that we have the worst emissions per capita in the developed world.

If the Australian people return Mr Morrison and his climate-science-denying cronies to government (or any other party not willing to take action) then surely the responsibility for the consequences of emitting carbon into the atmosphere must rest with the people who voted for such governments.

Wake up, Australia, do not let history judge us shamefully.
Deborah O’Connor, Berrys Creek

No better than NSW
Never have I been more disgusted and disappointed with my fellow Victorians than I am now, having heard of engagement parties, pub crawls and street parties over the weekend in blatant disregard for the current COVID laws.

There are retail and hospitality workers, allied health and gym workers plus many more people not earning any income and schoolchildren having their learning and childhoods compromised by home schooling, and the truly selfish acts of some have compromised our way out.

Last year’s mantra “we’re all in this together” seems to have dissipated and we appear to be no better than NSW.

Come on, Victoria, let’s pull together so we can all enjoy life’s freedoms once again soon.
Fi Barden, Port Melbourne

Send the ALP a message
The Labor Party is not acting decisively on reducing CO2, perhaps in the hope of being electable next time round.

ALP members can change this by withdrawing their membership of the party with a promise to rejoin once the party comes up with a firm and guaranteed policy to reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change.
Marilyn Willis, Kallista

Rewarding poor behaviour
It beggars belief that more than half the newly acquired Pfizer vaccines from Poland are destined for NSW.

Why not distribute them according to population per capital city or state? At least that way Victoria would get a fair look in. Melbourne has endured more lockdowns than Sydney, with our state government taking a much-lauded “health first”, wise and cautious approach.

Contrast that with Sydney, when, as recently as August 8, Gladys Berejiklian stubbornly refused to enforce much tougher restrictions, even when NSW recorded its worst day (at that stage) with 319 cases and five deaths. The spillover to other states through border leaks is inevitable and the allocation of extra vaccines to NSW seems a reward from Canberra for the teacher’s pet.
Mandy Homewood, Ringwood East

Is this his plan?
Maybe Scott Morrison has a cunning plan to protect Australia from climate-induced rising sea levels by gradually building up the height of our nation with the huge amount non-recyclable and non-biodegradable plastic waste going to landfill.

What else could explain his lack of action to address environmental issues?
Vikki O’Neill, Ashburton

Give us a chance
I don’t get it. We’re on the verge of a huge spike in cases â€" perhaps runaway infection like NSW â€" yet on my exercise on Saturday I saw very few people wearing masks and groups of five and six playing golf. Please give us a chance to get these numbers down and avoid extended lockdown by following the rules.
Marsha Merory, Ivanhoe East

Take the ego out of it
The piece by George Megalogenis (“In twin crises, the old politics of bluff will leave Morrison and Berejiklian isolated”, Insight, 14/8) was a wonderfully expressed article about the era of “bluff politics” from Scott Morrison (environment) and Gladys Berejiklian (COVID).

It was accurate and succinct and a scary portrayal of where we are heading as a country.

It is high time we took a close look at what motivates these people. It is time we as a country set aside these two giant wrecking-ball leaders and looked for a non-ego-led leadership recovery before things get really out of hand.

The final paragraph is worth framing and is frightening in its implications for our continued prosperity.
John Morris, Lorne

Laws must be enforced
Letter writers regularly complain of significant non-compliance with health directives or lockdown rules. Daniel Andrews laments that people are still not doing the right thing.

The reason is simple â€" a law without enforcement is not a law, it is an incitement to civil disobedience and contempt for the law.

If people were walking around indecently exposing themselves they would be reported and arrested in no time. Yet reports of people exposing their nose and mouth, threatening harm to others, result in nothing. The lawbreakers know the chance of anything more than a warning to put on a mask is almost zero.

And so the lockdowns continue.
Danny Cole, Essendon

Limit entry to vaccinated
If the AFL were serious about keeping the grand final in Melbourne, it should confine entry to those who have been vaccinated.

This would demonstrate good corporate citizenship and show a lead for getting vaccinated.
Gillon McLachlan, think about it.
Shaun Lawrence, Richmond

Take a deep breath ...
We are all disconcerted about the prospect of two more weeks of COVID lockdown and a curfew.
Listening to reports of developments in Afghanistan, where ordinary civilians face conditions of desperation, reprisal, fear and serious loss, let’s all take a deep breath and get on with the job of defeating this disease.
Graeme Rose, Stanley

AND ANOTHER THING

Life in lockdown
Not only do we have a COVID pandemic we have a pandemic of lawlessness, no masks, no QR checking, half masks, parties. More police presence, please.
Bill Martin, Malvern East

Credit:

Stuck at home, in Melbourne, on a sunny Sunday, I think “luckdown” is what we are experiencing.
Barry Kearney, Ringwood North

To all of you who did the wrong thing from all of us who have been doing the right thing: thanks a bunch, this one’s on you.
Maria Nield, Richmond

If the Northern Territory can insist on masks while exercising, why can’t we?
Harley Powell, Elsternwick

Judging by the number of cars I saw on the road on Saturday evening, I’d say the latest curfew was required.
John Groom, Bentleigh

People have concentrated on the “liberties” and forgotten about the “civil”.
Geoff Hall, Mentone

The footy
If the AFL were fair dinkum, it would appoint Alastair Clarkson as inaugural coach of a Tasmanian football team and give him next year to galvanise a local group of core players before entering the AFL.
Jennifer DelPrete, Pascoe Vale South

It’s time for the AFL to acknowledge that a Gold Coast team was a foolish idea and to replace it with a Tasmanian one.
Phil Lipshut, Elsternwick

Afghanistan
Every which way Scott Morrison likes to spin it, Australia’s 20-year war in Afghanistan was a debacle.
Reg Murray, Glen Iris

Furthermore
If you truly want to save our beautiful planet, then stop buying all the things that you really don’t need.
David Eames-Mayer, Balwyn

Finally
Whether or not the chicken crossed the road (Leunig, 16/8), the science is clear: COVID is real and vaccines work. Please, move on.
Robin Bowra, Fitzroy North

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