Indonesia and Sukarno

In Indonesian Destinies by Theodore Friend on page 17:

To evoke the great range of character and characteristics of this nation that lives so markedly in the world of myth, I turn to a symbolic pairing whose source is Indian mythology, transformed by centuries of Javanese history. The pairing is of Durga, who stands for power, destruction, rage at man, and Umayi, who represents all that is gentle, feminine and beautiful. Durga appears in old Javanese sculptures as a many-weaponed warrior, female, adamant, Amazonian in her fearlessness. Umayi, not captured in stone, represents the soft, submissive and creative side of the same mighty character. Both are consort to the great god Siva. Umayi is his sweet and domestically fulfilled spouse; but by an ancient curse she is always transformable into her angry and vengeful opposite, Durga, with her appetite for war.

All his life Sukarno courted Indonesia as Umayi. He charmed and won her. She was faithful to him; and he, in his fashion, despite his petty mortal passions, was faithful to her. But in the end Sukarno had to face the reality that he was playing games with the gods. Eventually, the curse emerged, and Umayi was transformed into the dreadful Durga. Sukarno's rule went down, and with it the lives of half a million Indonesians. The romantic who had aroused the masses was reduced to an isolated, weeping wreck.

The Happy Progression of the Liberals

A happy little graphic depicting the withering of the Libs:


From a Crikey post on Howard's fine electoral legacy.

Nicaraguan Cuba

I was reminded of the naivete of Cubans when reading the following excerpt from Rushdie's The Jaguar Smile, which has as its subject matter the author's time in Sandinistan Nicaragua:

Later, one of the interpreters asked me a breathtaking question: 'What's a labour camp?'

'What's a labour camp?' I echoed, disbelievingly.

'Oh, I can see what you're trying to say it is,' she said. 'Something like a concentration camp. But are you really saying they have such things in the Soviet Union?'

'Um,' I stumbled, 'well, yes.'

'But how can it be?' she asked in obvious distress. 'The USSR is so helpful to third world countries. How can it be doing things like this?'

There is a kind of innocence abroad in Nicaragua. One of the problems with the romance of the word 'revolution' is that it can carry with it a sort of blanket approval of all self-professed revolutionary movement. Donaldo Altamirano told me how deeply he felt in solidarity with the Provisional IRA.

The Dalai Lama as Jedi Knight

Am I the only one to think that the Dalai Lama seems to resemble Yoda with his playfulness, ungrammatical yet charming and understandable English, opposition to authoritarian systems and deep spirituality?

Farewell France?

Why emulate those whom you ridicule so justifiably?

France and Sarkozy remind me greatly of the misguided aims of communism in practice. Communist governments spent so much time concerning themselves with progress, with worrying about being more productive and beating capitalism at its own game, they forgot that communism's attractions relate to the possibility of living better.

Wherefore art thou o ideology that careth not for the productive cog, but for humankind in its resplendent glory?

Wherefore art thou o salvation from this mortal coil?

The Coming Federal Election: The 1999 Victorian State Election Writ Large

John Cain and Joan Kirner in Victoria presided over the Labor Party's longest reign in power from 1982 to 1992; Bob Hawke and Paul Keating federally presided over the Labor Party's longest reign in power from 1983 to 1996.

Labor in Victoria were routed in the 1992 election due primarily to their economic mismanagement; Labor federally were routed in the 1996 election due primarily to Keating's lack of popularity with the electorate and his growing disassociation with the values of the common voter.

Jeff Kennett came to power in Victoria in 1992 claiming he would restore the economic credentials of the state; John Howard came to power federally in 1996 claiming to be more sensitive to the values of the common voter.

Kennett lost power in 1999 because he was excessive in tightening the purse strings and too many services were compromised. Steve Bracks at that election then took power as the nicer version of Kennett even though there were no significant differences in their respective platforms. The Labor leader was, however, the Liberal leader with a kinder face.

Federally, I believe Rudd and Labor will win the coming election for the analogous reason. There is no significant difference between the two party leaders - Rudd and Howard share pretty much the same outlook on most things - nonetheless, and most importantly, Rudd is Howard with a kinder face.

So where Howard is tight with Bush, Rudd is more circumspect whilst still valuing the US alliance; where Howard accepts through gritted teeth human activity has caused global warming, Rudd has Peter Garrett as shadow environment minister whilst acknowledging that changes must come gradually so as not to cause significant economic disruption; where Howard sides unreservedly with business at the expense of everyday workers, Rudd is positioning himself as someone wanting to balance the competing interests of workers and their bosses; where Howard is gutting the education sector, Rudd sees education as the guarantor of Australia's future prosperity.

Thus just as Bracks was to Kennett, so I believe Rudd will be to Howard.