Currently, the Australian government has abandoned the inmates of its Manus island concentration camp without food, water, or power in a tropical hellhole. Their minions the PNG Army are preventing people from delivering food to those in need. The intention is clear: to starve them into leaving and force them into even worse conditions in a new concentration camp or in the PNG community.
This is a clear human rights abuse and humanitarian emergency, and the natural instinct of many New Zealanders is to step in, help out, and offer a home to those Australia is trying to murder. Jacinda Ardern went to Australia over the weekend promising to raise the issue again. Instead, she rolled over for the Aussies:
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has ruled out negotiating directly with Papua New Guinea over taking Manus Island detainees, despite New Zealand's offer to Australia to take 150 refugees being turned down.
[...]
Mr Turnbull said Australia was concentrating on an agreement to resettle 1250 people in the United States, an agreement that would cover hundreds more people than New Zealand was offering to take.
But he did not shut the door completely, saying "in the wake" of that, Australia could then "consider other ones".
Ms Ardern said she considered the deal very much still on the table, while acknowledging Australia clearly was not going to act on it anytime soon.
She was asked whether she'd put the offer to PNG instead.
"No, no, because the offer is still under active consideration by Australia so there is no need to do so."
Except Australia isn't "actively considering" anything. Instead it is literally trying to starve refugees to death to force them to give up their claims. Donald Trump is not going to rescue Australia's victims. So we have to. And if that means going around Australia and negotiating directly with PNG, then so be it - because people are going to die if we don't.
That's what's at stake here. A leader with a clear moral vision would see that. Instead, Ardern is giving us mealy-mouthed bullshit. So much for her and her government's principles.
